Arab League: Jerusalem is the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict

The Arab League affirmed that “Jerusalem is at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and targeting it aims to alter its Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity, and to erase its historical and legal character, in clear violation of international law and United Nations resolutions that affirm the invalidity of all Israeli measures aimed at changing the status of the occupied city.”

Fayyad Mustafa, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Palestine and Occupied Arab Lands Sector at the Arab League, stated during the International Conference on Jerusalem, held in Cairo, that “the convening of the conference comes at a time when the Palestinian cause, with occupied Jerusalem at its core, is facing one of the most dangerous phases in its history, amid the continued Israeli occupation’s implementation of policies of annexation, settlement, forced displacement, and the imposition of facts on the ground.”

He added that “the developments witnessed in Jerusalem, including the expansion of settlements, demolition of homes, confiscation of land, repeated attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites, and the imposition of restrictions on freedom of worship, represent a systematic policy aimed at undermining the Palestinian presence and imposing new realities on the ground. This highlights the danger these policies pose to the city’s future and to the prospects of achieving peace and stability in the region.”

He stressed that “what is happening in Jerusalem cannot be separated from what the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are enduring,” affirming that “the Israeli occupation is pursuing an integrated policy aimed at undermining the foundations of a Palestinian state and entrenching the occupation, thereby eroding the chances of reaching a just and comprehensive peace based on the resolutions of international legitimacy.”