The mosque,
in the Al-Aqsa complex which contains sites holy to Muslims and Jews, was
closed by Israel following the shooting of a Jewish activist.
Speaking
hours after the closure, Mr Abbas said: "This dangerous Israeli escalation
is a declaration of war on the Palestinian people and its sacred places and on
the Arab and Islamic nation.
"We hold
the Israeli government responsible for this dangerous escalation in Jerusalem
that has reached its peak through the closure of the Al-Aqsa mosque this
morning.
"This
decision is a dangerous act and a blatant challenge that will lead to more
tension and instability and will create a negative and dangerous atmosphere.
"The
state of Palestine will take all legal measures to hold Israel accountable and
to stop these ongoing attacks."
Minutes after
the comments, the Israeli prime-minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a hike in
police numbers.
He said:
"I have ordered a significant increase in forces as well as in means
(available to them) so we can both ensure security in Jerusalem and also
maintain the status quo in the holy places."
American-born
activist Yehuda Glick was shot by a gunman on a motorbike as he left a
conference, in an incident that has seen tensions rise in Jerusalem.
He is a
well-known ultranationalist and advocate of greater Jewish prayer access at the
Al-Aqsa complex.
His attacker
was described as speaking in "heavy Arabic-accented Hebrew",
according to Moshe Feiglin of the Likud party.
Mr Glick, 48,
is in a serious condition in hospital and his shooting comes after days of
clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police.
Police
spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police surrounded the home of a man suspected of
the shooting on Thursday. The suspect, identified as Muataz Hijazi, 32, then
opened fire before police shot back and killed him.
Residents
said hundreds of Israeli police and special units had been involved in trying
to capture Hijazi, an Islamic militant recently released from prison.
Afterwards,
local youths began throwing stones at police and dragged a rubbish skip into
the middle of the road as police fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas.
dis pple should sensitive
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