FM denounces 'inhumane’ Israeli attacks on mourners at Palestinian journalist’s funeral

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Friday strongly denounced the "inhumane and hateful Israeli attacks" on participants in the funeral of veteran Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. 

During an interview in Washington with Al Jazeera channel, Safadi stressed that "these attacks require a global conscious awakening that curbs this Israeli aggression and protects the Palestinian people", according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The minister also extended his deepest condolences to Al Jazeera channel and the family of Abu Akleh who was shot deadwhile covering the suffering of the Palestinian people, stressing that all indicators and eyewitness accounts affirm that the journalist was killed by Israeli forces.

He stressed that the “assassination” of Abu Akleh, the killing of dozens of Palestinians and what is going on in Jerusalem are all dangerous indicators that required a real international mobilisation to stop this escalation and revive a real peace process towards fair and comprehensive peace.

Replying to a question, Safadi said that Israel, the occupying force, holds the responsibility for what happened, especially that it continues to blocking aspects to reach fair and comprehensive peace that will never be achieved unless Palestinians receive their right to decent living in their independent, sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the pre-1967 lines.

“There will never be security with occupation, no peace with occupation; occupation and peace are opposites that can never meet,” stressed the minister.

Answering a question, he said that the Kingdom's position is clear: Occupied Jerusalem is part of the occupied Palestinian lands, and the League of Nations in 1930 stressed that Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif is a place of worship for Muslims alone, and the UN Security Council Resolution 476 is clear that Jerusalem is part of the occupied territories, so Israel has no sovereignty over Jerusalem or any other holy places.

The minister reiterated that the only institution with exclusive authority to run the affairs of Al Aqsa Mosque is the Awqaf Department affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf.

Safadi said that His Majesty King Abdullah, during all meetings held as part of his current Washington visit, including the meeting with US President Joe Biden, stressed the importance of stopping all provocative measure and respecting the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites.

The top diplomat said President Biden, during his meeting with King Abdullah, stressed his support to the two-state solution, the importance of respecting the historical status quo in holy places and the centrality of the Hashemite Custodianship over holy places. 

Safadi also denounced Israel's decision to build more than 4,400 settlement units, stressing that building settlements undermines opportunities to realise the two-state solution that has no alternative to reach peace, and pushes towards the one-state situation that instills the apartheid system that the world cannot deal with.