JEDDAH: Arab foreign ministers on Saturday condemned Israeli atrocities in the West Bank and Jerusalem that they said were undermining efforts to achieve a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
A statement issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministers also bewailed that “illegal Israeli practices” were “undermining chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which embodies the independent and sovereign Palestinian state with its capital.”
Palestinian and international human rights organizations have previously denounced the increasingly aggressive Israeli settler land-grabs in Palestinian territories in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The statement came at the conclusion of a consultative meeting of foreign ministers from GCC members states along with Jordan, Egypt and Iraq.
The informal consultation session was held in Jeddah during a Suhoor dinner hosted by Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
The ministers took issue with the repeated Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram Al-Sharif and “violation of the sanctity of the holy places,” especially at a time when Muslims gathered for prayers during Ramadan.
They reminded Israel of “the need to respect the historical and legal situation existing therein,” noting that it is Jordan’s Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs that is “empowered with exclusive jurisdiction to manage the affairs of the mosque and regulate access to it.”
