Arab FMs condemn Israel's "crimes" against Palestinians in Jerusalem

Arab foreign ministers strongly condemned on Tuesday "the brutal and systematic crimes by the Israeli forces in the occupied city of Jerusalem," reported Xinhua.

In a statement issued after their virtual meeting, which was held at the request of Palestine, the ministers warned that "these attacks and crimes are a flagrant provocation to the feelings of believers everywhere, and threaten to ignite a cycle of violence threatening security and stability in the region and the world."

They also strongly condemned Israel for undermining the freedom of worship in the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

The Arab top diplomats denounced "the decisions and procedures of Israel, its unjust judicial system, and the terrorist campaigns organized by the Israeli settlers supported by the occupation army and police, which all aim to displace the people of occupied Jerusalem, including the families of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood."

They described such measures as part of a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" that aim to perpetuate "the apartheid regime, sponsored by the Israeli occupation government."

The ministers affirmed the intention of the Arab countries to take the necessary steps and measures at all levels, including launching an intense diplomatic move in order to protect the city of Jerusalem, defend its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and support the political, social, economic and human rights of its people.

They as well condemned the "widespread aggression of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, specifically the brutal bombing that deliberately targeted civilians in the blockaded Gaza Strip, which led to the killing and wounding of a large number of children and innocent civilians."

The Arab foreign ministers called on the United Nations and international organizations, including the UN Security Council, to assume legal, moral and humanitarian responsibilities in order to immediately stop this Israeli aggression, provide protection for the Palestinian people and preserve their rights to freedom of worship.

They also called on the International Criminal Court to proceed with its criminal investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel against the Palestinian people, urging the court to provide all material and human resources for this investigation and to give it the necessary priority.

Since Monday afternoon, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 26 Palestinians in Gaza, including nine children. At the same time, at least 300 rockets have been fired by Gazan militants at southern Israel, killing two Israelis.

The escalation resulted from days of clashes at East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces, in which hundreds of Palestinians were wounded.

The Palestinians protested Israel's restrictions on their prayers at the compound during the holy month of Ramadan and its plan to evict some Palestinian families from a neighborhood in East Jerusalem.