The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have condemned the attack carried out by the Israeli forces by storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque, on Friday, and the attack on worshipers in it. The GCC termed the Israeli aggression a blatant and dangerous escalation.
On Friday morning, April 15, Israeli forces attacked Palestinian worshipers inside al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, injuring at least 152 Palestinians and more than 300 Palestinians were arrested.
Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli forces’ storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, closing its gates, and attacking defenseless worshipers inside the mosque and in its external squares.
The Ministry considered this systematic escalation a blatant attack on the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its place in the conscience of the Islamic nation, and a violation of relevant international resolutions and covenants.
The Kingdom called on the international community to play its role in holding the Israeli forces fully responsible for the repercussions of the continuation of such crimes and violations on the defenseless Palestinian people, their land and holy sites, and on the chances of reviving the peace process in the Middle East.
UAE
In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) said that Israeli authorities should respect the right of Palestinians to practice their religious rites and halt any practices that violate the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque.
It also stressed the need to end illegal Israeli practices that threaten the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The UAE continues to support all regional and international efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East, the ministry said.
Qatar
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli attack on Al Aqsa Mosque, considering it “a provocation to the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world and in the holy month of Ramzan, and a flagrant violation of human rights and international conventions.”
Kuwait
For its part, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack as “dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of all international charters and resolutions, and a reason to fuel extremism and violence and undermine the stability of the region.”
The Kuwait MoFAIC called on the international community, especially the security council, to assume its responsibilities in providing protection for the Palestinian people and holy places, and to curb the attacks carried out by the Israeli forces.
Oman
Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the Israeli action as “a flagrant violation of international law, values , and human rights” and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and the injured.
It called on the international community to assume its responsibilities by applying justice and law, ending the occupation, and achieving peace by restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
Bahrain
Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, stressed the importance of respecting the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram Al-Sharif and the need to stop any provocative measures that would fuel violence and fuel religious hatred, extremism, and instability.
The ministry called on the international community to assume its responsibilities in calming the situation and opening serious prospects for a just and comprehensive peace process based on the principle of the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.
GCC
In this context, Nayef Al-Hajraf, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), termed the incident as a blatant violation, condemnable and unacceptable behavior, and a dangerous escalation.
Al Hajraf stressed the need for Israel to respect the historical and legal situation in the occupied Jerusalem and its sanctities as well as to stop all illegal measures, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities to preserve the safety of Al Aqsa Mosque and the worshipers.
Furthermore, he urged Israel to abide by its obligations as an occupying power in accordance with international humanitarian law.
A similar statement was shared by Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Yemen, Arab Parliament, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Muslim World League, and Arab League, standing in solidarity with Palestine.
Middle Eastern countries stressed the necessity of self-restraint and providing full protection for Muslim worshipers and allowing them to perform Islamic rituals in Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is a purely Islamic endowment for Muslims.
This comes in the midst of a series of military operations carried out by the Israeli forces, seven days after an attack that resulted in deaths in Tel Aviv.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, West Bank, and the Gaza Strip during the six-day Arab-Israeli War in 1967. It later had to withdraw from Gaza.
More than 700,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank.
