Al Azhar condemns Israeli violence against Palestinians

By Mehmet Nuri Ucar

CAIRO (AA) - Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, condemned Israeli violence against Palestinians protesting the U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

In a statement on Friday, the Cairo-based institution described the Israeli intervention as "merciless."

"We condemn the 'merciless intervention' of the Israeli forces against the Palestinians protesters. We reiterate our support for Jerusalem stance of the Palestinian people," the institution said.

At least seven Palestinians have been martyred in clashes -- and hundreds more injured -- since the U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision last Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The dramatic shift in U.S. policy has drawn a storm of condemnation and protest across the Arab and Muslim world.

At a Tuesday summit, convened in Istanbul, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation responded to the U.S. move by recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967-- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.