Arab and European countries urged Israel to respect Jordan’s custodianship over the holy sites in Jerusalem and the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque /Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and to halt all provocations that would ignite more violence and extremism and undermine prospects for peace.
This position was expressed in statements issued by a number of countries after Israeli police breached Al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest shrines, and attacked worshippers during a dawn raid on Friday.
Bahrain denounced the storming of the complex and ensuing violence, where dozens were injured and many were arrested, calling the raid “a provocation against Muslims, that particularly occurred during the holy month of Ramadan.”
In a statement, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry called for respecting the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jordan’s role as custodian of the holy shrines and endowments according to the international law and existing historical status quo, and the cessation of any provocations that would fuel violence, bigotry and extremism and lead to instability.
It called on the international community to “assume its responsibility to calm the situation and open serious avenues for a just and comprehensive peace process based on the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
The United Arab Emirates condemned the Israeli forces’ attack, which left civilian injuries, and called for restraint and protection of worshippers and ensure the right to free worship and cease all actions that violate the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It also stressed the need to recognize Jordan’s custodianship over the holy sites, according to the international law and the existing historical status quo, and not to prejudice the Jordan-administered Jerusalem Waqf (endowments) authority.
Condemnation of the Israeli raid also came from Germany, France, Italy and Spain, which called in a joint statement on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from violence and all forms of provocation.
The statement called for respecting the status quo at the Jerusalem holy sites and Jordan’s role in this regard and supporting peace efforts based on the two-state solution.
Source: Jordan News Agency