Arab and Muslim foreign ministers convened in Jordan on Wednesday to formulate a joint position on Jerusalem amid what Amman described as escalating illegal Israeli measures targeting the city’s identity and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, Anadolu reports.
According to Jordan’s state news agency Petra, the meeting brought together members of the Arab ministerial committee tasked with confronting Israeli policies and measures in Jerusalem, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.
The ministers discussed developments in Jerusalem and its holy sites as they sought to adopt a unified position against Israel’s policies and actions.
– Jordan
Opening the meeting, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned that “Jerusalem is facing an escalating danger” and said its Islamic and Christian holy sites were under an unprecedented threat.
Safadi accused Israel of tightening its control over East Jerusalem through settlement construction, land annexation, property confiscation, restrictions on Palestinians and efforts to isolate the city from the rest of the Palestinian territories.
He said the measures were part of a plan targeting Jerusalem’s identity, history, present and future.
Safadi also accused Israel of violating the sanctity of Islamic and Christian holy sites and restricting freedom of worship for Muslims and Christians.
He said Christian clergy and churches had also come under pressure from what he described as extremist attacks and illegal legislation aimed at seizing church property and land.
Safadi said Israeli policies had increasingly targeted Al-Aqsa Mosque, accusing Israel of attempting to undermine its Islamic identity and alter the site’s longstanding historical and legal status quo.
He added that Israel’s measures in Jerusalem were part of a broader policy to consolidate its occupation of the West Bank and undermine the two-state solution, which he said remained the only path to a just peace.
– Egypt
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty rejected measures aimed at changing Jerusalem’s Arab, Islamic and Christian identity and reiterated Cairo’s support for Jordan’s Hashemite Custodianship over the city’s holy sites.
He warned that settlement expansion and settler violence undermine the two-state solution and reiterated Egypt’s rejection of any displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip or the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
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– Saudi Arabia
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan condemned continued Israeli violations in Gaza, saying unilateral Israeli measures in the Palestinian territories, including settlement expansion and attempts to alter the status of holy sites, are null and void.
He reiterated that East Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Palestine and called on the international community to take practical steps to halt the violations and protect the holy sites.
– Algeria
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf warned against what he described as Israeli plans to “Judaize” Jerusalem and erase its Arab, Islamic and Christian identity.
He called for coordinated Arab and international diplomatic action to protect the city and support the Palestinian people.
– Tunisia
Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti said preserving Jerusalem’s identity and protecting its Islamic and Christian holy sites is a collective responsibility.
He reaffirmed Tunisia’s rejection of settlement expansion, forced displacement and attempts to alter the city’s historical, legal and demographic status.
– Pakistan
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned continued incursions by extremist Israeli settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, saying they undermine Jerusalem’s religious and historical status and risk fueling a wider conflict.
He said all measures seeking to alter the character or status of occupied East Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites are “null and void.”
Dar also voiced concern over the expansion of illegal settlements, settler violence and the continued oppression of Palestinians, particularly in the occupied West Bank.
He called on Arab and Muslim countries to act in unity, protect Jerusalem and its holy sites, reject Israeli settlement activities, support the implementation of the Gaza peace plan and UN Security Council Resolution 2803, and strengthen diplomatic efforts to protect the Palestinian people.
– Iraq
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein condemned continued Israeli violations in Jerusalem, including incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, settlement expansion and forced displacement.
He called for stronger Arab and international diplomatic efforts to preserve the city’s historical and legal status and reaffirmed Iraq’s support for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The committee comprises Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Iraq, Qatar, Egypt and Morocco, as well as the Arab League secretary-general.
Jordan hosted the meeting in its capacity as custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
The talks came amid continued Israeli measures that Arab and Muslim countries say threaten Jerusalem’s identity, religious heritage and historical status quo.
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