Safadi, Palestinian counterpart call for immediate stop of Israeli violations at Aqsa Mosque

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Malki on Saturday stressed that the international community should take immediate and effective steps to stop illegal and unhumanitarian Israeli practices against the Palestinians in the occupied Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque/ Al Haram Al Sharif.

During talks as part of the coordination on regional and international action aimed at confronting Israeli practices and attacks, the two ministers held the occupation forces accountable for the dangerous escalation in occupied Jerusalem, according to a foreign Ministry statement. 

Safadi and Malki reiterated that Jerusalem, with its shrines, is “a red line”, noting that Israeli violations are a “flagrant” breach of international law and provoke the feelings of two billion Muslims and would flame up conflict and push the region towards further escalation. 

Jordan, as per directives of His Majesty King Abdullah, the Custodian over Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites, will continue in protecting the Arab-Islamic identity of Jerusalem's holy sites, legal and historical status quo, and confronting Israeli violations.

The two sides also stressed the ongoing joint work to protect the right of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to their homes and prevent their eviction. 

Israel as an occupation force is responsible for protecting Palestinians rights to their houses, the two top officials said, warning that Palestinians’ evictions at Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood is regarded a war crime and breach for humanitarian international law, Geneva and Hague conventions.

Talks during the meeting also went over the preparations for the emergency conference of Arab foreign ministers, scheduled next week to discuss the situation in Jerusalem, affirming the continued coordination and joint action, on the regional and international levels, to deal with Israeli violations and protect the Palestinians rights, especially to an independent sovereign state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with the occupied Jerusalem as its capital.