The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemns and warns of the dangers of ongoing Israeli violations of Islamic and Christian sanctities in occupied Jerusalem

SadaNews - The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Hussein Ibrahim Taha, strongly condemned the incursion by the extremist Israeli minister "Itamar Ben Gvir" into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Haram Al-Sharif, accompanied by groups of extremist settlers and under the protection of the Israeli occupation police, considering it a blatant assault on the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and a deliberate and grave provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world.

The Secretary-General confirmed that Israel, as the occupying power, has no sovereignty over the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sanctities. He stated that any actions or measures taken by the occupying authority in this regard are considered null and void, warning of the dangers of ongoing Israeli violations which come as part of its plans to impose new realities on the ground through attempts at geographic and demographic change in occupied Jerusalem, and undermining the historical and legal status of the holy sites in the city of Jerusalem, as well as attempts to temporally and spatially divide the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, in a flagrant violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

The Secretary-General held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for all the serious repercussions resulting from the continuation of these provocative incursions, which could fuel violence, tension, and instability in the region and the world at large. He reiterated his call to all parties within the international community to assume their responsibilities and take deterrent diplomatic, legal, and economic measures to pressure the Israeli occupation to respect its obligations under international law, halt these recurring violations, and ensure respect for the sanctity of Islamic and Christian sanctities in occupied Jerusalem, as well as the necessity to preserve the historical and legal status of the holy sites in the city of Jerusalem and throughout the occupied Palestinian territories.