OIC condemns Israeli desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque

JEDDAH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday urged the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to take action against “repeated and dangerous Israeli violations of holy sites.”
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the 56-nation group made the call after violence erupted on Sunday as Israeli security forces attacked Palestinians protesting access by Jews into the compound on an annual day of Jewish mourning.
OIC Secretary-General Iyad bin Ameen Madani denounced the “incursion into and desecration of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque by groups of extremist settlers under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces” as “an act of provocation and blatant violation of relevant international resolutions and instruments.”
He said the settlers blocked access to the mosque and “savagely attacked” the worshippers in the mosque's compound.
Madani said it was holding Israel “fully responsible for the consequences of the continuation of these systematic Israeli attacks against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque which fuel religious conflict, extremism and instability in the region.”
Palestinians were angered by what they considered intrusions by Jews. Visits are allowed, but Jewish prayer at the site is prohibited.
The hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City, one of the biggest flashpoints in the Middle East, is the most sacred site in Judaism and Islam's third holiest, after Makkah and Madinah. Jews refer to the site as the Temple Mount.
Israeli police said Palestinian youths had prepared to clash with them, spending the night in the mosque in which they had stored stones and fireworks, as well as wooden planks to prevent police from closing the doors.
Police said they only went a few meters into the mosque to shut the doors in a bid to restore calm and lock in rioters who were inside.
The Palestinian government said Israel’s actions proved it wanted to “drag the region into a religious war.”
Jordan, the custodian of the compound, said: “The repeated Israeli violations of the sanctity of the holy site are a provocation against the feelings of Arabs and Muslims... designed to ignite further hostility.”

(Additional input by Agencies)