Arab countries condemn Israeli police for storming Al-Aqsa, attacking Palestinians

By Yaqut Dandashi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan on Wednesday denounced Israeli police raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and the subsequent arrest of Palestinians.

The Israeli police on Wednesday said they detained 350 Palestinians from the complex, with witnesses saying they used excessive force including tear gas.

The foreign ministries of the four countries, in separate statements, strongly condemned the dawn raids on the mosque compound.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with great concern the Israeli occupation forces' storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, assaulting worshipers, and arresting a number of Palestinian citizens,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry stated.

The Kingdom expressed its “complete rejection of these practices that undermine peace efforts and contradict international principles and norms in respect of religious sanctities.”

The Kingdom reaffirmed “its firm position in support of all efforts aimed at ending the occupation and reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause.”

- Egypt and Qatar

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms the storming, and the accompanying "flagrant assaults that led to many injuries among worshipers, including women, in violation of all international laws and norms."

Egypt held "Israel responsible for this dangerous escalation, which would undermine the truce efforts that Egypt is engaging in with its regional and international partners."

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to "assume its responsibility to put an end to these attacks, and to spare the region more factors of instability and tension."

Qatar condemned “in the strongest terms the Israeli occupation forces' storming and vandalism of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, assaulting worshipers inside, preventing ambulances from reaching the injured."

Qatar's Foreign Ministry called the attacks “a serious escalation and a blatant infringement of the holy places, an extension of the policy of Judaizing Jerusalem, a violation of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, and a provocation to the feelings of more than two billion Muslims in the world, especially in the blessed month of Ramadan.”

Qatar also held Israel “solely responsible for the cycle of violence that will result from their systematic policies against the rights of the Palestinian people.”

- Jordan

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned “in the strongest terms the Israeli occupation police storming the blessed mosque Al-Aqsa/ Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif,” calling on Israel to “immediately remove the police and special forces from Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif.”

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Ambassador Sinan Majali, stated that the Al-Aqsa storming "is a flagrant violation and an unacceptable act."

Al-Majali called on Israel, "as the occupying force, to stop its violations of international humanitarian law and to desist from all measures aimed at changing the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its sanctities."

He said: "Israel bears responsibility for the dangerous consequences of this escalation, which undermines efforts to achieve calm and prevent the escalation of violence that threatens security and peace."

Israeli forces and Jewish settlers frequently carry out raids on the mosque.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents Islam’s third-holiest site, while Jews call the area Temple Mount.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.

*Ikram Kouachi contributed to this report