UAE reaffirmed the firm position on the need to provide full protection for Al-Aqsa Mosque…reports Asian Lite News
The UAE has strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, under the protection of the Israeli police.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) reaffirmed the UAE’s firm position on the need to provide full protection for Al-Aqsa Mosque, and halt serious and provocative violations taking place there.
The Ministry underscored the need to respect the custodial role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan over the holy sites in accordance with international law and the historical context at hand, and not to compromise the authority of the Jerusalem Endowment Administration that manages the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Ministry called upon Israeli authorities to halt escalation and avoid exacerbating tension and instability in the region, affirming the UAE’s rejection of all practices that violate resolutions on international legitimacy and threaten further escalation.
Moreover, the Ministry stressed the need to support all regional and international efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East, end illegal practices that threaten the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Meanwhile Jordanian Foreign Ministry has condemned Ben-Gvir’s “incursion” into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which was made under the protection of Israeli forces, is a provocative step and a grave violation that leads to escalation, the Ministry’s spokesperson Sinan Al-Majali said on Sunday in a statement.
The visit breaches international law and the historical and legal status quo of Jerusalem and its holy sites, he added, demanding Israel immediately cease all violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and respect its sanctity, Xinhua news agency reported.
Al-Majali also stressed the need for Israel to stop all measures aimed at changing the existing historical and legal status quo of Jerusalem and its holy sites and to respect the authority of the Jerusalem Waqf, a Jordanian body in charge of the compound since 1948.