PUTIN PROMOTES DEFENCE MINISTER

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Quake rattles WA. 3-The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND. 4-La Nina could mean dry summer in Midwest and Plains. 5-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 6-Rice Pushing PA State as Leaders Prepare for Summit. 7-Evangelist Graham Seeks to Convert Sudan’s Muslim President. 8-Report: January hottest on record. 9-Putin promotes defense minister. 10-Palestinian unity deal under way. 11-Tight security averts feared Jerusalem mosque protests.

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST

ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Sat Feb 17 12:00 AM EDT

FEB 17,07
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 6.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION

FEB 16,07
MAP 4.6 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.0 NEAR THE COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.2 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION

FEB 15,07
MAP 3.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 COSTA RICA
MAP 4.9 WESTERN AUSTRALIA
MAP 3.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 PERU-BRAZIL BORDER REGION
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
MAP 5.3 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

Quake rattles WA
February 16, 2007

The strong 5.2-magnitude earthquake was centred off Shark Bay about 50km south-west of the popular tourist town of Monkey Mia, Geoscience Australia said.

The quake, recorded at 2.38am (AEDT) would have been felt at Monkey Mia, as well as the nearby town of Denham and on Dirk Hartog Island, a spokesman for the national geoscience research agency said.While people would have felt this earthquake up to 150 kilometres away from the epicentre, it was not a structurally damaging earthquake, Geoscience Australia Duty Seismologist Dr Mark Leonard said.He said the quake was of significant magnitude for Australia, but unlikely to have caused any major damage.In Denham, Shark Bay Caravan Park residents and campers were woken by theearthquake. Manager and owner, Trish Rochford, told theage.com.au that she woke up to find everything shaking inside the house.I had just dozed off and it woke me up and the bed and the house were shaking and there was a bit of a rumble. So yeah, it was over and done with before we realised.

Ms Rochford said the earthquake scared a few people who were staying at the caravan park.Yeah a few people in the caravans said they didn't know what was going on, but it didn't really go that long, only for about five seconds.It's been fairly windy here so I thought it had been just a big gust of wind coming through.Another Denham resident reported his house shaking.The whole house started shaking. Crockery in the cupboard started rattling ... and the bed started shaking, the resident told ABC Radio.The resident said many people were woken by the earthquake.People were out in the streets.The dogs were barking. People were saying: What was that? The resident said he thought a truck had crashed.Dr Leonard said the earthquake was the biggest recorded in the area in 50 years.

On average, Australia has an earthquake of this size or larger every two years and they can occur anywhere in Australia.In 1989, a 5.6- magnitude earthquake at Newcastle, on the New South wales central coast, killed 13 people and injured 160.Australia's largest known onshore earthquake occcured in 1941. It was a 6.9 magnitude tremor at Meeberrie, 250km southeast of Shark Bay.theage.com.au, with AAP

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Fri Feb 16, 6:23 AM ET

Forecasters predicted more snow from the Plains to the Northeast on Friday, while temperatures were expected to rise into the 70s in parts California. Lakes Erie and Ontario were expected to receive heavy snowfall, and parts of the Northeast already inundated with more than 100 inches of snow in recent days could see another 2 feet through the weekend.Conditions were expected to be clear but cold in much of the rest of the East.The northern and central Plains were expected to get up to 4 inches of snow.Heavy snow was expected from the Rockies to the Northwest and parts of western Colorado are expected to pick up a foot or more of new snow.California was expected to be mostly clear with warm temperatures. Southern California was expected to experience temperatures in the 70s with clear conditions.Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday ranged from a low of minus 34 degrees at Bismarck, N.D., to a high of 78 degrees at Thermal, Calif.On the Net:Weather
Underground: http://www.wunderground.com.National Weather Service: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov
Intellicast: http://www.intellicast.com

La Nina could mean dry summer in Midwest and Plains FEB 16,07

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A La Nina weather pattern could be in store for spring and summer, which could make it a dry growing season for grains and soybeans in the US Midwest and Plains, a private forecaster predicted Friday. The CFS forecasting model, a leading indicator of long-term weather, on Friday showed that La Nina an abnormal weather pattern of cooling sea surface waters in the Pacific Ocean would begin in April.This was the first decisive run suggesting that La Nina would evolve in April and last the rest of the year, said Drew Lerner, agricultural meteorologist and president of World Weather Inc. in Kansas City.The forecast ignited a rally in Chicago Board of Trade grain and soybean markets on Friday, traders said.La Nina can trigger below-normal rainfall but doesn't necessarily mean drought, though there's already a bias for a drier summer, he said.

You throw a La Nina into it, it tends to make the drier biases more significant for the Corn Belt and Plains, Lerner said.Grain markets react to La Ninas as there's a general mentality among traders that the weather anomaly creates summer droughts, he added.All the major drought years tend be La Nina 1988 was a La Nina, he pointed out.

This Week with Rabbi Eckstein
February 15, 2007

Dear Friend of The Fellowship,

Palestinian leaders recently met in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to discuss how to curb fighting between rival Fatah and Hamas factions that has brought Gaza to the brink of civil war.

At the meeting, representatives of the two groups came to an agreement the Mecca Agreement that calls for a ceasefire and requires the two groups to form a unity Palestinian government.For some, this agreement raises hopes that a new Palestinian leadership coalition has emerged that may be willing to make peace with Israel. They argue that Hamas, the more radical of the two Palestinian groups, will now be forced to moderate its virulently anti-Israel positions.The problem is that the Mecca Agreement does not require either Palestinian group to recognize Israel or renounce terrorism—two steps that are absolutely necessary for a lasting peace. How can Israel be expected to coexist with a neighbor whose founding document, the Hamas Charter, refers to the Jewish state as the Zionist invaders and declares that Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it?

From Hamas' standpoint, the Mecca Agreement is a win-win situation. It can retain its founding principles and, by clothing itself with a false air of respectability, possibly regain hundreds of millions of dollars in financial support from the West that was withdrawn nearly a year ago when Hamas first came to power.

Just how serious is Hamas about making peace? You can judge for yourself. Shortly after the Mecca Agreement was announced, one Hamas leader was quoted as saying, Our battle with the Israeli enemy is still on…. We will be the spearhead of jihad … to defend Arab and Muslim nations.These are not the words of someone interested in making peace. Quite the contrary. These words reflect the heart of Hamas and give testimony why past agreements and cease fires have been quickly broken. The fact is, no agreement will bring peace to this region of the Middle East until Palestinian leadership commits itself to ending terrorism and recognizing Israel's right to exist. And, until this happens, Israel has every right to remain skeptical and refuse to recognize the new Palestinian government. As I have said on several occasions in this newsletter since the beginning of the 2007, I believe that this is a watershed year for Israel. The response of the European Union to the Mecca Agreement could well tip the scales. If they accept the new Palestinian government's claims and release aid to them, the Palestinians may be emboldened to strike against Israel. Given these and other circumstances that pose great peril to Israel and her people, it is with a heartfelt passion that I ask you to join with me and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

Rice Pushing PA State as Leaders Prepare for Summit
By Hana Levi Julian and Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 16,07

Trilateral talks will focus on the broader political issues, says U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, still withholding support for the PA unity government.Rice will arrive in Israel on Saturday to hold preliminary discussions with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas prior to Monday’s three-way summit in Jerusalem.Rice has already announced that she hopes the establishment of a Palestinian Authority state will be on the agenda. She has told both Olmert and Abbas that they should begin discussing this issue.

Ramifications of a Palestinian State

The dangers of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan have been outlined and detailed by countless experts. Such a state would be the world's worst nightmare, writes Middle East analyst Emanuel A. Winston, and the last link in a string of terrorist states that will stretch from Algeria through Sudan, soon Egypt and then [others]... They will not only incubate new terror groups but will also increase
their linkage and operational efficiency for major strikes against America as well as Israel.Rafael Israeli has edited a book entitled, Dangers of a Palestinian State, which features articles by Israel's leading political analysts outlining the strategic threat of such an entity. From the demographic angle, Michael Wise, co-author of The 1.5-Million-Arab Population Gap, writes that, PA control of any part
of the West Bank could result in the arrival of 2-2.5 million Palestinian 'refugees' over the course of 3-5 years. The first to arrive, Wise feels, would be the more than 400,000 who have been living in abject poverty in Lebanon, to be followed soon after by up to millions more in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and elsewhere. The opportunity to be resettled in Palestine with enormous global financial and political support will be very attractive and immediately accepted by those refugees.

Though a breakthrough in PA unity government talks between Hamas and Fatah was announced in Mecca last week, the new government has still not been formed, as major issues have still not been resolved. Contrary to earlier threats, however, Hamas leader Abu Haniye did resign yesterday, partially paving the way for the new government to be installed.Rice was careful to reiterate the American wait-and-see theme throughout a news conference, dodging questions about whether the U.S. would indeed recognize the new PA unity government.We’re not going to jump the gun here, she said repeatedly.

We’re not going to make a judgment here until we have something that’s firm.But Rice did not deny a report that Middle East envoy David Welch called Abbas this week to warn him that the U.S. will not recognize the new PA unity government because its leading faction, Hamas, has not recognized the State of Israel. You know that I’m not going to talk about what we’ve done diplomatically, she said. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack was equally cautious about commenting on the report. Back up! he told journalists Thursday when asked about Bush administration plans to boycott the new Hamas-Fatah PA government. McCormack, like Rice, said no decisions had yet been made on an American response either way. You don’t have a government of national unity, he told reporters. You don’t know who’s in that government. You don’t know the platform of that government... On the basis of that lack of facts, I can’t offer you an answer.

The Quartet comprised of the U.S., Russia, the United Nations and the European Union has until now continued to demand that Hamas recognize Israel, renounce terrorism and uphold agreements with Israel signed by previous PA governments. Whether they will stand by those demands in light of the new Fatah alliance with Hamas, however, remains a question. Rice ducked the issue. I can’t begin to predict what the international reaction is going to look like right now, she said. Despite her efforts to put a positive spin on the upcoming summit, it is clear that Rice has begun to realize that never often simply means wait a bit in the PA. For example, Abbas long claimed that he would never join a Hamas government that does not meet the Quartet demands but this quickly dissolved when he signed on to the pact in Mecca last week. We are going to await the formation of that government before we make any decisions about it, she told reporters before setting out for Jerusalem. Eventually you’re going to have to get to a Palestinian government that accepts that it is to live side by side in peace with an Israeli neighbor.

Evangelist Graham Seeks to Convert Sudan’s Muslim President FEB 16,07

The Christian Post reports that Franklin Graham met with Sudan’s Muslim president Omar Hassan al-Bashir this week and confirmed his aim of converting the leader whom many say is behind the Darfur genocide. Graham affirmed that he still believes Islam is an evil and wicked religion, and that I would like to convert every person I meet... through persuasion. Graham first met al-Bashir in December 2003 when Graham told the Sudanese president that he wanted to lead him to Christ. Bashir had responded that he wanted to make Graham a Muslim. Proselytizing by both parties continued on Monday and religious differences remained strong. However, Graham had a softer opinion of Bashir and the Darfur situation following the meeting.

Report: January hottest on record
February 16, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) It may be cold comfort during a frigid February, but last month was by far the hottest January ever.

The broken record was fueled by a waning El Nino and a gradually warming world, according to U.S. scientists who reported the data Thursday. Records on the planet's temperature have been kept since 1880. Spurred on by unusually warm Siberia, Canada, northern Asia and Europe, the world's land areas were 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) warmer than a normal January, according to the U.S. National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina. That didn't just nudge past the old record set in 2002, but broke that mark by 0.81 degrees Fahrenheit (0.56C), which meteorologists said is a lot, since such records often are broken by hundredths of a degree at a time. That's pretty unusual for a record to be broken by that much, said the data center's scientific services chief, David Easterling. I was very surprised.The scientists went beyond their normal double checking and took the unusual step of running computer climate models just to make sure that what we're seeing was real, Easterling said.

It was.

From one standpoint it is not unusual to have a new record because we've become accustomed to having records broken, said Jay Lawrimore, climate monitoring branch chief. But January, he said, was a bigger jump than the world has seen in about 10 years. The temperature of the world's land and water combined the most effective measurement was 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit (0.96C) warmer than normal, breaking the old record by more than one-quarter of a degree.

Ocean temperatures alone didn't set a record. In the Northern Hemisphere, land areas were 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4C) warmer than normal for January, breaking the old record by about three-quarters of a degree. But the United States was about normal. The nation was 0.94 degrees Fahrenheit (0.63C) above normal for January, ranking only the 49th warmest since 1895.The world's temperature record was driven by northern latitudes. Siberia was on average 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5.1C) warmer than normal. Eastern Europe had temperatures averaging 8 degrees Fahrenheit (4.55C) above normal. Canada on average was more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.88C) warmer than normal. Larger increases in temperature farther north, compared to mid-latitudes, is sort of the global warming signal, Easterling said. It is what climate scientists predict happens and will happen more frequently with global warming, according to an authoritative report by hundreds of climate scientists issued this month. Meteorologists aren't blaming the warmer January on global warming alone, but they said the higher temperature was consistent with climate change.Easterling said a weakening El Nino a warming of the central Pacific Ocean that tends to cause changes in weather across the globe was a factor, but not a big one. But Kevin Trenberth, director of climate analysis at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said El Nino made big changes worldwide that added up. Temperature records break regularly with global warming, Trenberth said, but with a little bit of El Nino thrown in, you don't just break records, you smash records.As much of the United States already knows, February doesn't seem as unusually warm as January was. Even with global warming, you're not going to keep that cold air bottled up in Alaska and Canada forever, Easterling said.The Associated Press.

Putin promotes defense minister Updated 2/15/2007

THE NEXT RUSSIAN PRESIDENT?

The leading contenders to succeed Russian President Vladimir Putin next year:

SERGEI IVANOV: Defense minister since 2001, Ivanov was a colleague of Putin's in the Soviet-era KGB in the mid-1970s in St. Petersburg. After working in foreign intelligence in Africa and Scandinavia, he rose through the ranks of Soviet and later Russian intelligence.

He eventually became the deputy head of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the main KGB successor agency, in 1998 when Putin was its chief. ... The first civilian defense minister in Russia, the English-speaking Ivanov, 54, is seen as a hawkish figure shaped by Cold War thinking. ... Had been deputy prime minister since November 2005. He is married with two children.

DMITRY MEDVEDEV: The 41-year-old law school graduate taught at St. Petersburg University from 1990 to 1999. ... Met Putin while serving as a legal adviser to the St. Petersburg mayor's office. ... Became deputy chief of staff in the Kremlin in 2000 and then chief of staff in 2003. ... Chairman of state gas giant Gazprom's board of directors since 2002. ... A loyal member of Putin's group of friends and loyalists from St. Petersburg, he was appointed first deputy prime minister in November 2005.Source: Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin promoted hawkish Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to first deputy prime minister Thursday in a move that strengthens his position as a top contender to replace the Kremlin leader in next year's election.

The shift puts Ivanov in the same post as Dmitry Medvedev, who is regarded as a market reformer and liberal.

The two men are seen as the leading candidates to succeed Putin.Anatoly Serdyukov, until now head of the federal tax agency, replaces Ivanov as defense minister.Putin praised Ivanov in an announcement on the NTV network, saying his close ally has fulfilled the tasks he faced as defense minister and fulfilled them successfully. He said Ivanov's duties would be broadened to include oversight of defense and some civilian industries, but that he could not hold both positions at the same time.He cannot carry out the defense minister's responsibilities it's impossible to sit in two chairs, said Putin, who came out with further praise of a beaming Ivanov in a meeting with top Defense Ministry officials shown on state-run television.

Putin said he named Serdyukov, a longtime tax collection official with no military experience, as defense minister because a sweeping arms modernization program planned through 2015 requires an appointee with strong economic and financial experience.Ivanov, who like Putin formerly worked in the Soviet KGB, had previously served as one of several deputy prime ministers, while Medvedev was the sole first deputy prime minister.Both Ivanov and Medvedev have in recent months received wide exposure in the Russian media, where coverage is heavily influenced by the Kremlin. Some analysts say their prominence shows they are the top candidates to become Putin's anointed successor in the March 2008 election.

Putin is enormously popular but barred by law from seeking a third term.

Ivanov's promotion elevates him to the same level with Medvedev and could also boost his image by distancing him from the bloated military, which is plagued by hazing of young conscripts by older soldiers.But Ivanov would apparently remain in charge of Russia's lucrative arms industry, widely criticized for supplying weapons to Iran and to Hezbollah militants.Ivanov, who also serves as chairman of the state-controlled energy giant Gazprom, is regarded by some Russians as the stronger of the two candidates. Ivanov was named defense minister in March 2001.

Analysts comment on Russian leadership shuffle

Ivanov has not won kudos as defense minister, said Yevgeny Volk, the head of the U.S.-based Heritage Foundation think tank's Moscow office. Now he has finally gotten rid of these nets that dragged him to the bottom and has been given a good, clean job.Volk said the reshuffle signaled Putin's apparent intention to level the playing field in the competition between Ivanov and Medvedev, whose once-low profile has been boosted since the president put him in charge of national projects, such as housing improvements and funding increases for education and health care.Volk said that Ivanov's oversight of the weapons trade would allow the Kremlin to consolidate financial flows. Arms trade, along with energy revenues, will be a major source for the election campaign, and it's essential (for Putin) to have his own person here, Volk said.Medvedev, a lawyer, became first deputy prime minister in November 2005.Yuri Korgunyuk, a top analyst with the independent INDEM think tank, said the reshuffle was Putin's way of reaffirming his dominance of the political scene.

Formally speaking, it's a promotion for Ivanov, but he remains just a pawn, he said. It will be up to Putin to decide whether to make this pawn a queen.Volk also said it was too early to say whether Putin was inclined to anoint Ivanov as a preferred successor. It's all unpredictable; we may see other candidates, he said.Korgunyuk said that by shifting the tax chief Serdyukov to the defense minister's job, Putin wanted to tighten controls over the top brass accused of corruption and inefficiency.Putin put the tax man in charge of the Defense Ministry to combat theft, he said.

Chechen president dismissed, replaced

Putin also dismissed the president of the war-battered republic of Chechnya and named its widely feared prime minister Ramzan Kadyrov as acting president, according to the Kremlin press office. The dismissal of Alu Alkhanov came after days of speculation that he was engaged in an intense power struggle with Kadyrov, who is alleged by human rights groups to be responsible for abductions and detention of civilians and suspected separatist rebels.The Associated Press.

Palestinian unity deal under way FEB 15,07

Ismail Haniya (left) and Mahmoud Abbas sealed the deal in Mecca Palestinian PM Ismail Haniya has resigned his post and has been asked by President Mahmoud Abbas to form a new national unity government. The move came after the pair ironed out last-minute problems from the power-sharing deal sealed last week. Factional fighting between Mr Abbas's Fatah and Mr Haniya's Hamas has claimed more than 90 Palestinian lives between December and this month. Doubts remain as to whether the US will end its boycott of the government. A ban on Western financial aid has crippled the Palestinian Authority since Hamas, which has refused to recognise Israel, won elections in January last year.

Last-minute problems

Mr Haniya tendered his resignation at the meeting with Mr Abbas in Gaza.

Scores have been killed in factional fighting Brother Ismail Haniya presented me with his government's resignation and I charged him with forming his new cabinet, Mr Abbas said. He said he hoped the new administration would inaugurate a new Palestinian era in which people live in peace and security. Mr Haniya will have five weeks to get the new cabinet accepted by the Hamas-dominated parliament. Mr Abbas had called off a national address on Thursday because of last-minute problems over the new power-sharing deal. Hamas was reportedly unhappy about moves to dissolve a security force that it has established. There were also disputes over appointments to key cabinet posts. The Americans have informed us that they will be boycotting the new government headed by Hamas Senior Palestinian official On Thursday it was unclear whether the US would back the new government. Aides to Mr Abbas said Washington would continue its boycott unless the government met international demands over Israel. The aides said the US position had been conveyed by Assistant Secretary of State David Welch in a phone call and in person to Mr Abbas by US consul general in Jerusalem, Jacob Walles. US state department spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington would not make a judgement until the government was formed. As part of the power-sharing deal it was reported that Hamas had agreed to respect past Palestinian agreements that recognise Israel. However, the BBC's Alan Johnston in Gaza says the Americans are expected to demand an explicit statement of recognition and a renunciation of violence. Other nations, he says, will argue that the Palestinians have done enough and there could be a split among countries that recognise the new government. A three-way summit between Mr Abbas, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli PM Ehud Olmert is scheduled for Jerusalem on Monday.

Tight security averts feared Jerusalem mosque protests by Mehdi Lebouachera FEB 16,07

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Thousands of Muslims have attended prayers at the holy Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem under heavy police guard amid fears of protests against contested Israeli works that were slammed from the pulpit.However, worshippers dispersed peacefully on Friday and, although police arrested 15 people in east Jerusalem, isolated skirmishes came in stark contrast to riots last week that saw Israeli police storm the revered mosque compound.Adnan al-Husseini, director of the Waqf religious trust, said 2,500 worshippers attended the prayers amid stringent police restrictions although police put the number at 6,000. Normally tens of thousands attend.Palestinians and Muslims all over the world have condemned nearby Israeli archaeological excavations and repair work, since stalled, which they claim endanger the foundations of Islam's third holiest site.The Israeli work poses great danger to our mosque and we demand a complete halt because it heralds destruction and death, said cleric Yussef Abu Sneineh.No one with any sense plays with fire, he added from the pulpit, taking a stab at the Israeli authorities.

Accusing police of transforming the revered compound into a battleground last Friday, when Palestinian stonethrowers clashed with the riot squad, he urged worshippers to go quietly this week to avoid further troubles.Israel boosted police deployments around Jerusalem's Old City to 3,000 on Friday and tightened restrictions on those attending prayers.

Only Muslim men aged over 50 and in possession of Israeli identity cards were granted entrance to the main weekly service, compared to those over 45 last week, although there remained no restrictions on women's access.Isolated clashes broke out after the prayers between Israeli police, who used stun grenades and water cannons to disperse protestors, witnesses said.Two Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded by Palestinian gunfire during a protest at Qalandiya, the main checkpoint between Jerusalem and the the West Bank town of Ramallah, an army spokeswoman said.

Last week, Israeli riot police armed with stun grenades stormed the compound amid clashes with Palestinian stonethrowers that left 15 policemen and at least 20 Palestinians wounded in protests over the public works.

The excavations, which started on February 6, have angered Muslims across the world and provoked violent protests.Israel denies the work poses any risk to the holy site, also venerated as the location of the ancient Jewish temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.The head of Israel's Islamic Movement, Sheikh Raed Salah, banned by an Israeli court from approaching the Old City, led his own prayers in east Jerusalem and delivered a fiery speech before hundreds of supporters.The authorities say the excavations are a vital prerequisite to construction work to replace a damaged wooden ramp leading to the compound with a stone bridge, work that the Jerusalem mayor has suspended because of Arab protests.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday agreed to allow Turkish officials to inspect the work, following talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on a visit to Ankara, the Jewish state's closest Muslim ally.Israel is also broadcasting a live webcast of the excavation site 24 hours a day in a further bid to appease Muslim anger. The fate of Jerusalem and its holy sites is one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has long triggered deadly disturbances. The compound, which houses both the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, is where the second Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000 after a controversial visit by then Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon. In 1996, more than 80 people were killed in three days of Palestinian riots after then Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened a new entrance to a controversial archaeological tunnel near the holy sites.