[Michael Holmes, Cnn Host:] Tonight: shootings in Jerusalem. One of its most sacred sites temporarily closed with the city on edge. I speak to both sides of this ongoing conflict. Also ahead, protests rage in Mexico; 43 students are still missing. Will there be justice?
[Jorge Castaneda, Former Foreign Minister Of Mexico:] . the people who did that, whoever they may be, have very little to fear because they know that the ones who did similar things before have not been punished.
[Holmes:] Hello and welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes, in for Christiane again today. Well, tensions rising once again between Israelis and Palestinians, with one of Jerusalem's holiest sites at the center of a tinderbox, scuffles breaking out as dozens of far right Israeli protesters tried to break into the al-Aqsa compound after it was closed for the first time in years, following the shooting of a controversial right-wing rabbi. The site is known as Temple Mount to Jews and the noble sanctuary to Muslims. It is expected to reopen on Friday although not for the first time Muslim men under the age of 50 will barred, Israel says, because of the risks of demonstrations. Rabbi Yehuda Glick, who had pushed for more Jewish access to the compound, was wounded in the shooting. On Wednesday, Israeli police then shot and killed Palestinian suspect Moataz Hijazi. prompting clashes on the streets. A spokesman for the Port Authority president Mahmoud Abbas described the closure of the holy site as a declaration of war or tantamount to that. A visit by Ariel Sharon back in 2000, of course, helped ignite the second Palestinian intifada and all the violence that followed. Tensions between the two sides are being simmering more than usual since the conflict in Gaza and also over Israel's plans to expand and build more settlements in the West Bank and, crucially, East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want to be their future capital. Well, can the two sides find any common ground? I spoke to Israel's economy minister, Naftali Bennett, who joined me from Jerusalem. Naftali Bennett, thanks for being with us on the program. The mosque area, the Temple Mount area, is going to be reopened in the hours ahead, one hopes. Do you think that that will diffuse these current tensions?
[Naftali Bennett, Israel's Economy Minister:] I believe so. Unfortunately, we've gone through a wave of terror from radical Islamic terrorists; just a few days ago, they murdered a 3-month-old Jewish baby and yesterday they shot point-blank at an Israeli. And I hope now tensions will calm down. What we need is for the Palestinian leadership to stop incitement, because they have been calling for these sorts of actions and indeed the words do kill.
[Holmes:] You know, the word "incitement" is a common one used by Israeli politicians and others when it comes to the Palestinian leadership. But there are plenty on Israel's right in politics, in the settler movement which could be accused of the same. We've heard the chants of "Death to Arabs" on the streets of Jerusalem and elsewhere, even liberal Israelis attacked on the streets in recent weeks. Really the level of discourse has never been so low. How does one improve that and get things back to some sort of civilized discussion?
[Bennett:] First of all, that's incorrect. No Israeli leader, no Israeli member of parliament has been calling for the murder of Palestinians; while at the same time, the Palestinians are doing just so. In fact the president of the Palestinian Authority called to stop at any cost from Jews exercising their freedom of prayer on Temple Mount. So I don't accept that assertion.
[Holmes:] Well, have Palestinian leaders been calling for deaths of Jews? I'm not saying that politicians were calling for the deaths of Jews. I said that "death to the Arabs" had been chanted on more than once in recent times. And I think that's a fair comment. During the Gaza conflict, the deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset said the only innocents in Gaza are IDF soldiers and called Palestinians "savages of the desert." That's the type of thing I'm talking about, when it comes to this word "incitement," and it's detrimental to any kind of discourse, is it not?
[Bennett:] You bet that Palestinian leaders have been calling to murder. You know that the Palestinian leadership funds terrorists when they're in jail after murdering Israelis. They actually pay them a monthly salary, which is way higher than your average salary in the Palestinian Authority. They call circles over the names of suicide bombers. So they do everything on their TV shows. They call to kill the Jews day in, day out. That's blatant incitement. None of that happens in Israel. In Israel, we have 1.5 million Israeli Arabs who enjoy full, equal rights, who vote for the Knesset, who are part of our parliament. None of that exists here. Are there a few Israelis on the sidelines that do that? Perhaps, but not the Israeli government as a government.
[Holmes:] Yes, well, I think the deputy speaker of the Knesset's a fairly senior figure. The point being, of course, that it is on both sides and it's not helpful. And what we're seeing today is not just about this incident, this attack, brutal attack on the rabbi. The anger and polarization have being roiling for a long time. There have been many arrests and deaths of Palestinians as well. The settlement expansion in the West Bank and particularly East Jerusalem, attacks on Israelis, as you point out, too. Then this is just the latest spark. What needs to be done to get back to some sort of talk?
[Bennett:] That's the main thing. What we need to be doing is investing in joint economy between the Palestinians and the Israelis. We can talk forever. But as long as the quality of life for Israelis and Palestinians is not good enough, this thing is going to go on and on. What we need to do is talk about paving roads, opening up new businesses, opening up commercial centers, factories and that's my focus as minister of economy for Israel. We need to improve the lives on ground of millions of people. And that's what I would focus the international community on.
[Holmes:] When it comes to Temple Mount, one final question, in 1967, when Israel secured that territory, I think it was Galan who said take the flag down. Do you think the Israeli flag should be flying on top of Temple Mount?
[Bennett:] Temple Mount is the most holy place for Jews in the entire world and it's the third holiest location for Muslims. So we have to find a way where both religions can fully exercise their freedom to pray. That's what we need to be striving for and that's what I hope ultimately will happen.
[Holmes:] I have to leave it there. Naftali Bennett, thanks so much for being on the program.
[Bennett:] Thank you.
[Holmes:] And listening to that is the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour. He joins us now live from U.N. headquarters in New York. Ambassador, as we say, you heard Mr. Bennett there, the Palestinians are inciting violence and Israelis do not.
[Riyad Mansour, Palestinian Ambassador To The U.n:] Well, the Israeli government and the occupying authority and the settlers are the ones who are practicing that. The issue is not improving, building a road here or there. The issue is ending occupation of our land. They said in the Security Council and Prime Minister Netanyahu said in the general assembly we are not occupiers. This is a land that was given to us by God. If that is the case, then we need to know where are we going to build the two-state solution. They have to come to the conclusion that there are occupiers. That's the position of everyone in the Security Council, in the United Nations, in all corners of the globe, in all including Washington, D.C. If they do not accept that they are occupiers and that they have to leave our homeland and by that I mean the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, then there will not be doors opened for peace.
[Holmes:] Well, as I said to
[Mansour:] and people are much
[Holmes:] As I said to Mr. Bennett, the controversy over this shooting, the rabbi shooting and the closure of the mosque really is just the latest in a series of incidents that perhaps haven't been as widely reported. There are daily demonstrations in East Jerusalem, a lot of controversy over expanding settlement activity particularly in East Jerusalem. What do you think is happening when it comes to that expansion? Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their capital.
[Mansour:] Absolutely. And there are daily incidents in which Israel occupying authority and their extreme settlers killing Palestinian children, young people, arresting Palestinians, uprooting our trees, making our life miserable, closing down the third holiest shrine for Muslims, not to allow anyone to go there, that is inflaming the situation. That is provocation. When they bring settlers with the army and with the police to come to the Islamic compound of al-Aqsa Mosque, that is intensification the situation and incitement. Nobody is denying anyone al- Aqsa Mosque is always open for visitors. And agreements between Israel and us and the Jordanian authorities, that it is open for everyone but it is not open for except the Muslims to pray there. You do not see Muslims praying in churches. You do not see Christians praying in Muslims' mosques. They visit these places, but each would pray in their own holy site.
[Holmes:] I've got to say to you that Benjamin Netanyahu has said he favors the status quo, which is that Jews not pray at Temple Mount and that he wants that to continue. The other thing
[Mansour:] the status quo.
[Holmes:] That is the status quo and he said that he still favors that. He also says that he still favors a two-state solution, even though he's made comments and actions that would indicate he's not particularly moving in that direction with any haste. Do you think it'll happen? Do you have any real hope that, particularly under this government, a two-state solution is even on the table?
[Mansour:] What we have to look for is his action, not what he says. If he is truly in favor of a two-state solution, then he begins educating his people that they have to evacuate from the occupied territory, not to instruct his ambassador in the Security Council to say that we are not occupiers, this is our land. If he wants two-state solution, he has to prepare Israeli people and society to evacuate from our land. With regard to the status quo in al-Aqsa Mosque, should we believe what he is saying, the status quo? Or will his party vote in favor a piece of legislation that will be put before the Knesset in order to divide al- Aqsa Mosque, which would be the highest form of provocation and incitement against not only the Palestinians, but the Islamic and the Arab world
[Holmes:] To be fair, his spokesman today said publicly that even if their party, the prime minister wouldn't sign it. But let me just ask you this. We saw Sweden formally recognizing the State of Palestine and calling on other countries to do likewise. What impact will that have?
[Mansour:] That is an investment in peace and an investment in saving the two-state solution. We are grateful for this courageous position by Sweden. I had today two meetings, one with the head of the foreign relation committee of the parliament in Finland. And I urged them to follow the steps of Sweden. And I had a meeting with the foreign relation committee of the senate of France. And I asked them to do so. And I understand that a motion has been deferred to them for consideration so that France to also recognize the State of Palestine.
[Holmes:] All right.
[Mansour:] Every European country that has not recognized the State of Palestine to do so is an investment in peace and an investment in saving the two-state solution.
[Holmes:] Still a long way to go on this issue. Appreciate your time, Riyad Mansour, Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, thanks so much.
[Mansour:] You're very welcome. Thank you.
[Holmes:] Well, the tension in Jerusalem centers around one of the most important archeological sites in the world. As the Jews were building their second temple more than 2,500 years ago, around the world in what is now Mexico there was a city that was thriving. Archeologists there say that they may be on the verge of the most important discovery, the city's royal tombs. Researchers uncovering a tunnel filled with thousands of precious objects, one step closer to finding their Holy Grail. And when we come back, more on Mexico with the country in turmoil over 43 missing students. I speak with the former Mexican foreign minister, Jorge Castaneda.