Egypt warns against 'Israeli attempts to Judaise East Jerusalem'

The Egyptian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Osama Abdel Khalek, yesterday warned against Israel’s “continued attempts to Judaise East Jerusalem and change the historical and legal status quo of its holy sites.”

Official MENA quoted Abdel Khalek as saying that the Israeli attempts were a “dangerous escalation and an infringement of the holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

“Egypt condemns the storming of Israeli occupation forces to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the acts of violence against Palestinian people in the courtyards of the holy mosque,” Abdel Khalek said, calling on all parties “to exercise self-restraint and provide full protection to Muslim worshippers to perform their prayers at the mosque.”

The Egyptian official noted that his country was exerting “all-out efforts with regional and international partners to provide the appropriate atmosphere to resume negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,” stressing the efforts were aligned with “international terms of reference, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution based on the 4 June 1967 borders.”

TWITTERTREND: Palestinians are #not_budging from Al-Aqsa

Abdel Khalek stressed the “necessity of liberating all Arab territories occupied by Israel in 1967,” reiterating that implementing the “international legitimacy resolutions and the UN Charter based on respecting the full sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states and non-interference in their domestic affairs are the only means to achieve security, stability and peace in the Middle East region.”

Tensions have prevailed in Jerusalem in recent days as Israeli forces and settlers continue to storm the holy mosque on the occasion of the Jewish Passover holiday.