The Arab League condemns the incursion of hundreds of settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque and warns against altering the status quo
Cairo, August 13 (KUNA) – The Arab League strongly condemned on Thursday the incursion of hundreds of Jewish settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the performance of Talmudic rituals within its courtyards under the protection of occupation forces, warning against attempts to alter the historic and legal status of the mosque.
In a statement, the League said that these practices constitute a blatant violation of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, international law, and resolutions of the UN Security Council, considering them a direct interference with the existing historic and legal status and a systematic attempt to entrench temporal and spatial segregation within the mosque.
It affirmed that Al-Aqsa Mosque, in its entirety covering 144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Affairs Administration holds the authority to manage its affairs in accordance with the existing historic and legal status.
The League placed full responsibility for these repeated violations on the Israeli occupation, calling on it to immediately halt practices aimed at changing the identity and historic and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to respect international law, international humanitarian law, and relevant UN resolutions.
It urged the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities, stop the escalating violations by the occupation, provide protection for the Palestinian people and their holy sites, and prevent the continuation of impunity or the imposition of facts by force.
The League reaffirmed its firm position that East Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Palestine, and that all Israeli measures aimed at altering the city’s status, identity, and Arab, Islamic, and Christian character are null and void, illegal, and create no legal right or effect.
It stressed that the continued escalation at Al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem constitutes an affront to the sentiments of Muslims and Christians, threatens to ignite the situation, and undermines prospects for achieving peace and stability in the region.
According to reports, approximately 600 settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque through the Moroccan Gate during the morning hours and performed collective Talmudic rituals under the protection of occupation police. (End) M.M. / T.M.A.
