The pan-Arab body held Israel fully responsible for the consequences of the escalation that would threaten peace and security in the region….reports Asian Lite News
The Arab League (AL) has condemned Israel for raiding the flashpoint holy site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.
In a statement released after an urgent meeting held in Cairo on Wednesday, the pan-Arab body held Israel fully responsible for the consequences of the escalation that would threaten peace and security in the region, urging the international community to protect the Palestinian people and their right to freedom of worship, Xinhua news agency reported.
Early on Wednesday, Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews, and clashed with dozens of Palestinian worshippers inside. At least 12 were injured during the clashes. Israeli police said they stormed the compound because Palestinians had brought fireworks, sticks, and rocks and barricaded themselves inside the mosque.
During the AL meeting, which was called for by Jordan, Palestine and Egypt, an Arab consensus was reached to “condemn the crimes of the occupation forces against worshipers in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and categorically reject the Israeli violations that aim to change the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its sanctity,” according to the AL statement.
In an earlier statement, AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit strongly condemned the Israeli raids and called on the international community “to act quickly in order to stop Israel’s dangerous escalation, which threatens to ignite the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories”.
Meanwhile, the UAE has strongly condemned the incident. The Foreign Ministry has reiterated its firm position on the need to provide full protection for Al-Aqsa Mosque and halt serious and provocative violations taking place there, and emphasised that worshipers should not barricade themselves inside the mosque and places of worship with weapons and explosives.
Furthermore, the UAE underscored the need to respect the custodial role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan over the holy sites in accordance with international law and the historical context at hand, and not to compromise the authority of the Jerusalem endowment that manages the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Moreover, the UAE called on Israeli authorities to halt escalation and avoid exacerbating tension and instability in the region affirming the UAE’s rejection of all practices that violate resolutions on international legitimacy and threaten to further exacerbate escalation.
It stressed the need to support all regional and international efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East, end illegal practices that threaten the two-state solution, and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
On Wednesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry voiced its strong rejection of the Israeli escalation at Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Israeli police’s “blatant attacks” on Palestinian worshippers.
“Egypt held Israel responsible for such dangerous escalation, which would undermine the truce efforts that Egypt is engaging in with its regional and international partners,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned the Israeli raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.
The Ministry called on the international community to “assume its responsibilities by stopping these attacks and holding the Israeli government responsible for the crimes it is committing and their consequences”.
‘Al-Aqsa our red line’
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly condemned Israel’s raid on the flashpoint holy site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan.
“Attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque is our red line,” the semi-official Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying on Wednesday at an iftar gathering attended by retired citizens in Ankara.
The Turkish President said he condemned the “vile actions” against the Muslim worshippers and demanded an end to “the attacks” as soon as possible, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Palestinians are not alone. Turkey will never remain silent in the face of these attacks,” he added.
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