Abbas says Al-Aqsa Mosque 'must return to status quo before'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during an emergency meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on July 25, 2017. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas insisted on Tuesday that the situation at Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem should get back to the status quo before July 14. [Photo/Xinhua]

RAMALLAH - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas insisted on Tuesday that the situation at Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem should get back to the status quo before July 14.

"There will be no changes in the Palestinian position," Abbas told in Ramallah at an emergency meeting, attended by senior officials from Palestine Liberation Organization, Fatah Party and Palestinian security unit, according to the state-run news agency WAFA.

"All measures taken against Al-Aqsa Mosque after July 14 should be cancelled and ended," said Abbas, adding "the situation in Jerusalem has to get back to normal, then we will resume ties between us and Israelis."

Abbas went on saying that the people of Jerusalem have risen up as one man to reject all the actions taken by Israel and that Palestine will support them.

"What we have decided is to freeze security coordination (with Israel) and this is still valid, defending our sanctities still valid too. We want to study what happened from that day until now, to see what we can do," he added.

On July 14, three Arab-Israeli gunmen opened fire at two Israeli policemen and shot them dead, while police forces fired back at the gunmen and killed them. The attack took place at the yard of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

After the attack, Israel closed the mosque and later installed electronic gates and cameras at the entrances to the mosque. The action provoked protests by the Muslims who refused to enter the mosque through these gates.