Following are comments made by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General, Dr. Dore Gold, in response to the statement made by Mahmoud Abbas yesterday (September 16) on Palestinian TV and Sky News in Arabic:

"Today the world is divided between those trying

to undermine religious coexistence and those trying to protect it. By saying that the 'filthy feet' of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount desecrate it, Mahmoud Abbas has now clarified on which side he stands."

Translated excerpt from remarks by Mahmoud Abbas:

"We bless you; we bless the Mourabitoun and the Mourabitat. We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem. This is pure blood, clean blood, blood on its way to Allah. With the help of Allah, every shaheed will be in heaven, and every wounded will get his reward.

All of their steps - we will not allow them. All these divisions - Al-Aqsa is ours, and the (Church of the) Holy Sepulcher is ours, all ours. They have no right to desecrate them with their filthy feet, and we won't allow them to."