The Arab League Council today called on the United Nations (UN) and its Security Council to halt the Israeli occupation aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
During an extraordinary session at the level of permanent representatives in Cairo, the Council of the League of Arab States urged the UN and the Security Council (UNSC) to uphold their legal, moral and humanitarian responsibilities towards the aggression against the mosque compound, ensure international protection for the Palestinian people and safeguard their right to freedom of worship.
Discussion in the session focused on the sacrilegious Israeli attacks against the mosque compound and affirmed that such attacks constitute a flagrant and condemnable violation of international law and international and humanitarian law.
Discussion also tackled the actions that should be taken at the Arab and international levels to confront the brutal Israeli crimes and attacks on the lives of the Palestinian people and their sanctities in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
In the final communiqué, the Council condemned the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against defenseless worshipers in the mosque, which alarmingly escalated during the past days of Ramadan fasting month and resulted in hundreds of injuries and arrests and caused considerable destruction in the mosque.
It expressed rejection and condemnation of all forms of Israeli violations against the holy sites and attempts aimed at altering the historical and legal status quo in and spatially and temporally divide the mosque compound, the attempts to control the administration of the Jordanian Islamic Endowment Department, assault and obstruct the work of its employees, in addition to the attempts to impose Israeli law on the mosque.
It held Israel, the occupying power, responsible for the outcomes of these crimes and measures that undermine freedom of worship in Islamic and Christian holy sites in the city of Jerusalem, which constitute flagrant violations of United Nations resolutions, international law and international humanitarian law.
It affirmed Palestinian Muslims and Christians’ right to safe, unimpeded and unrestricted access to their places of worship.
The Council warned that these attacks and crimes are a flagrant provocation to the feelings of believers everywhere, and threaten to ignite a spiral of violence that threatens security and stability in the region and the world.
It stressed the importance of Jordan’s historical custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy places in the city of Jerusalem, and its role in protecting them and safeguarding the legal and historical status quo while emphasizing that the Jordan-run Islamic Endowments Department is the only entity authorized to manage all the affairs of the mosque compound.
It as well called for the implementation of Palestine-related decisions issued by the Executive Council of UNESCO and its World Heritage Committee, which confirmed that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its entire area of 144 dunums, is a pure place of worship for Muslims only, and an integral part of the world cultural heritage sites.
It affirmed the determination of member states to take the necessary steps at all levels, including undertaking intensive diplomatic efforts in order to protect the city of Jerusalem, defend its sanctities, and support the political, social, economic and human rights of its people.
It concluded by renewing its call for coordinating action with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to protect the occupied city of Jerusalem from the systematic Israeli policies and attacks.
Source: Wafa
