Palestinians attack peacemaker

By ERIC SILVER and SA'ID GHAZALI in Jerusalem

A Palestinian mob stormed and beat up Ahmed Maher, Egypt's Foreign Minister, yesterday as he prayed at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque during a diplomatic mission aimed at reviving the Middle East peace process.

He was rushed to hospital where he was yesterday recovering.

About 100 worshippers set upon Maher, who was ending an official visit to Israel, and started to beat him as he finished praying at the third holiest shrine in Islam. Some threw shoes, a traditional gesture of contempt, calling the minister a traitor and shouting: "Go back to Sharon! You are collaborators!"

Sheikh Ziad Afameh, who commands the Al Aqsa guards, said the minister fell to the floor and passed out.

Some witnesses said he was gasping for breath and was heard saying, "I'm going to choke, I'm going to choke" as the crowd engulfed him.

Afameh said: "We tried to surround him, but we couldn't reach him. The mob punched our guards, too. One of them fainted."

Maher quickly regained consciousness and insisted on walking to an ambulance. At first, he said he didn't need to go to hospital, but then agreed to be checked at the Hadassah Medical Centre, where his injuries were said to be light.

The mayhem embarrassed both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Although the Muslims control the mosque compound, known by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, the Old City is under Israeli rule. Since the 1967 war, they have been responsible for security.

Ahmed Qureia, the Palestinian Prime Minister, condemned the attack as "irresponsible" and promised to bring the culprits to justice. He cannot afford to alienate Egypt, which has been working assiduously to coax Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

"Egypt," Qureia said, "has always supported the Palestinian cause. It is trying to alleviate Palestinian suffering."

Security in and around the mosque was surprisingly lax. By agreement between Israel and the Muslim authorities, Israeli police did not accompany Maher on to the mount, though they rushed in to rescue him as soon as the mob struck. Afameh admitted he had only 12 guards on duty.

He explained that Maher arrived two hours later than expected after extended talks with Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister, and his Foreign Minister, Silvan Shalom. He entered by the Moors Gate, normally used by non-Muslim visitors. No one was there to greet him and the guards had not been reinforced.

Before going to the mosque, Maher persuaded Sharon to reciprocate if the Palestinian militias agreed to a ceasefire. "We will respond to quiet with quiet," a senior official in Sharon's office said. He did not repeat the mantra that the Palestinians must first "dismantle the terrorist infrastructure".

Egypt, one of only two Arab states to maintain full diplomatic relations with Israel, has been mediating at both the diplomatic and security levels to get the international "roadmap" back on course.

Although Maher was not scheduled to meet Palestinian leaders on this trip, Egypt's intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, is expected to visit the West Bank next week to push a ceasefire. So far, the more radical groups have been ready to stop attacks inside Israel, but not against soldiers or settlers in the occupied territories.

Maher was confident after meeting Shalom that a truce could be achieved and that the roadmap could be revived.

He told reporters: "Let's start this road, which will lead us to a solution and to peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, which will be beneficial to the whole region. I come out from here encouraged, but the encouragement needs to be followed up by actions from both sides as soon as possible."

- INDEPENDENT