Dozens of Arab and Islamic leaders and dignitaries on Sunday condemned recent measures by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem and the West Bank, where violence between Israel and the Palestinians has flared, The Associated Press reported.
The meeting in Cairo was organized by the Arab League and was attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as many foreign ministers and senior officials.
The speakers at the meeting, in their statements, condemned Israeli unilateral measures in Jerusalem and the West Bank, including house demolitions and settlement expansion.
They also condemned visits by Israeli officials to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Al-Sissi warned of the dire consequences of any Israeli measures to change the status quo of the site, saying that they would negatively affect future negotiations to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Such measures, he said, would hinder the long-awaited two-state solution to the conflict, leaving both sides and the entire Middle East facing difficult and serious options.
For his part, the Palestinian President said that his administration would turn to the United Nations and its agencies and demand a resolution in defense of the two-state solution to the conflict.
According to a report, The leaders and senior officials from Arab and Islamic countries warned Sunday that Israeli actions in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank could exacerbate regional unrest as violence between Israel and the Palestinians mounts.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government.
Officials also spoke out in support of Jordan’s role as guardian of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site.
The mosque was built on a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem, which is the holiest site for Jews, which they refer to as the Temple Mount because it was the site of the Jewish temples in ancient times.
Since Israel took over the site in 1967, Jews have been allowed to visit but not pray there. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians aspire to East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the pan-Arab organization’s secretary-general, also warned that attempts to partition Al-Aqsa Mosque and erase its Arab and Islamic identities “would fuel endless unrest and violence.”
Abbas, the Palestinian President, said his government would approach the United Nations and its agencies, demanding a resolution to protect the two-state solution to the conflict.
“The State of Palestine will continue to appeal to international courts and organizations to protect the legitimate rights of our people,” he said.
The Cairo gathering came amid one of the deadliest fighting in years in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
According to an Associated Press count, 45 Palestinians have been killed so far this year. Palestinians have killed 10 people on the Israeli side during this period.
The ongoing bout of violence has made the region nervous. Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian leaders and urged them to ease tensions.
Israel is governed by the new far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Many politicians in Netanyahu’s government are opposed to Palestinian independence.
