Jerusalem: The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine has urged immediate action to safeguard Al-Aqsa Mosque from the ongoing threats of Judaization and attacks by Israeli forces and settlers. This call to action coincides with the commemoration of Isra' and Mi'raj, a significant event in the Islamic calendar.
According to Jordan News Agency, the committee's statement, issued by its chairman Ramzi Khoury, who is also a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, underlined the importance of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. As the site of the Prophet Muhammad's night journey and ascension to heaven, they are considered a trust held by the Arab and Islamic nations. The committee emphasized the need for comprehensive defense and protection of these sites by all possible means.
The statement highlighted the collective responsibility to prevent Al-Aqsa Mosque from falling under Israeli control and to resist settler incursions, which are advancing new Judaization projects in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sites. The committee expressed concern over Israeli plans involving annexation, settlement expansion, and displacement, driven by the far-right Israeli government in the occupied West Bank.
Moreover, the statement drew attention to the ongoing aggression in Jenin and its refugee camp, comparing it to the destructive policies previously witnessed in Gaza. It also emphasized that these actions target the Palestinian refugee cause and are part of broader repressive measures by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank. This area, the committee noted, has effectively become a network of large prisons surrounded by military checkpoints and gates.
The committee condemned the occupation for committing grave crimes aimed at denying the Palestinian people their fundamental rights, including self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. It reiterated that peace and security in the region are unattainable without a just resolution to the Palestinian issue.