Al-Azhar Says Israel's Closure of al-Aqsa 'Barbaric'

Sunni Islam's top institution, al-Azhar, said Israel's closure of the al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem on Thursday was a "barbaric" act that fueled religious conflict.

Israel said its closure of Islam's third holiest site, which is also holy to Jews, was temporary and aimed at calming tempers after police shot dead a Palestinian accused of trying to kill a Jewish hardliner.

Muslims and the international community must "immediately step in to stop this barbaric action that exacerbates religious conflict," al-Azhar, located in Cairo, said in a statement quoted by Egypt's state news agency MENA.

The closure of the compound came after months of near daily clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in the eastern sector of the Holy City.

The shooting and wounding late Wednesday of Israeli rightwinger Yehuda Glick and the subsequent killing of suspected gunman Muataz Hijazi sent tensions soaring to a new high.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the unprecedented closure was tantamount to a "declaration of war."