RIYADH: The Arab Parliament has warned that the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque led by Israeli ministers and extremists represented “a provocation to the feelings of Muslims and Palestinians and a dangerous escalation of the situation in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories.”
Arab Parliament also held the “Israeli occupation authority fully responsible for the repercussions of these provocative marches and racist practices in Jerusalem” in a statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA.
The UAE and Bahrain similarly condemned Thursday’s march, and called on “Israeli authorities to halt escalation and avoid taking steps to exacerbate tension and instability in the region.”
The UAE’s foreign ministry, in a statement, particularly reiterated its firm position on the need to provide full protection for Al-Aqsa Mosque and stop serious and provocative violations in it.
Bahrain’s foreign ministry meanwhile “stressed need to respect the existing historical and legal situation in Jerusalem, and not to prejudice the role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in managing endowments, caring for and protecting holy sites in accordance with international resolutions, providing full protection for worshipers, and stopping any racist or provocative practices which would fuel tension and instability.”
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also strongly condemned the storming and desecrating of Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremist settler groups, Israeli ministers, and Knesset members, who performed “racist Talmudic rituals in its courtyards” under the protection of Israeli forces.
The OIC considered it a continuation of Israel’s violations of the sanctity of holy sites and freedom of worship, in breach of the Geneva Convention and international law.
The OIC also denounced the flag march staged by settlement associations within occupied Jerusalem, emphasizing that the city is an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967. It also reaffirmed Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and all measures taken by Israel to alter the character and makeup of the city as null and void under international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.
Furthermore, the OIC held the Israeli government fully responsible for the continuance of systematic attacks, which provoked the feelings of Muslims all over the world and promote religious conflict, extremism, and instability in the region.
The OIC further called on the international community to take responsibility and intervene to put an end to these serious Israeli transgressions, as well as to maintain the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem.
