June 26, 2019 9:31 PM

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Israel protests Chilean presidents holy site visit

<span style="color: #222222;">Israel today protested to Chile after President Sebastian Pinera visited a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site. <br />'' <br />'' Pinera, on a visit to Israel and the West Bank, toured the Al-Aqsa mosque complex yesterday, with images on social media showing him accompanied by Palestinian officials.<br />'' <br />'' The status of Al-Aqsa, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is one of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<br />'' <br />'' It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest for Muslims after Makkah and Medina, administered by the Muslim Waqf but secured by Israeli police.<br />'' <br />'' According to Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Chilean Ambassador Rodrigo Fernandez was rebuked for Pinera's visit taking place in violation of the regulations and a prior agreement.<br />'' <br />'' Foreign dignitaries normally coordinate their visits to the volatile site with Israeli officials.<br />'' <br />'' Israel occupied mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. <br />'' <br />'' It sees the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians view the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.<br />'' <br />''<br />''Chile is home to the world's largest expatriate Palestinian community.</span>

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