CAIRO: Egypt on Wednesday warned Israel that its actions in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque threaten the hopes of a two-state solution as well as security and stability in the region.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the people of Jerusalem are unable to enjoy Ramadan festivities “because they are defending their sanctities and their homes in the face of Israeli attacks targeting their right to live on the land in which they were born.”
Shoukry said: “We, along with the whole world, have seen what the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque has been subjected to during in past days, and it has provoked our feelings to see this holy site transformed into a battlefield by the Israeli forces, in which unarmed worshippers were insulted and subjected to beatings and arrests.”
Israel’s violations did not stop at Al-Aqsa but reached the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, which has become “a symbol of steadfastness and dignity,” he said.
Israeli attempts to evict eight Palestinian families from the neighborhood have led to mounting tensions in the city.
Shoukry said that efforts to change Jerusalem’s identity and deny Arab residents their rights will not go unnoticed, adding that Arab concerns over events in the city show that Palestine will remain a central Arab issue.
Egypt condemns Israel’s brutal practices, and considers them a violation of international law, undermining the chances of reaching a two-state solution, and a threat to security and stability in the region, he said.
Egypt has worked intensively in recent days to stop the situation deteriorating.
Shoukry said that Israel’s use of excessive force has failed to achieve security in the region.
He called for an end to the escalation in fighting, and urged Israeli authorities to protect Palestinian civilians and safeguard their rights to practice their religious rites.
