(Cairo) – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa has affirmed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s total condemnation and absolute rejection of the illegal and inhuman procedures that Israel, the occupying force, has recently taken with regard to Al Aqsa Mosque, the first Kibla for Muslims and their third holy mosque.
He held Israel fully responsible of its violations of this holy place for Muslims as it is not acceptable to target the holy sanctum, shut its doors and try to bring it under its control under the excuse of the daily confrontations.
He stressed in his statement at the Ministerial-level Meeting of the Council of the Arab League in its Extraordinary Session, held in Cairo, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the total and unyielding stand with the Palestinian brothers who face dangerous Israeli practices that encroach on the Arab and Islamic heritage, identity and sanctities.
He also called for countering the Israeli adamant rejection of all regional and international initiatives seeking regional peace and hailed the Palestinian people’s courage and resistance in defending the Al Aqsa Mosque and insisting on their rights to practicing religious rites without supervision or restraints.
“The sensitive and dangerous situation necessitates further effort to confront any attempt to change the status quo in the occupied Jerusalem, the target that Israel rapidly and illegally working to make it happen.
“ it is doing so in blatant provocation of Muslims’ sentiments and against the decisions of the International Community, UN General Assembly, Security Council, UNESCO, the principles of human rights and the relevant Geneva Conventions, which all affirm that Jerusalem is an occupied city and an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967.
“We call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and intervene immediately to provide protection for the Palestinian people on their land and Islamic and Christian sanctities as a major step towards ending the conflict and achieving a just and comprehensive peace, based on the two-state solution and leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital..
“We also call for Israel’s full withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied in 1967, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, as a comprehensive and indispensable strategic solution that cannot be relinquished or waivered.
The minister also extended thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and President Mahmood Abbas of the Palestinian State HM King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, HM King Abdullah VI of the Kingdom of Morocco and H.E President Abdel Fattah El Sissi of the Arab Republic of Egypt for their incessant efforts in defense of the sacred city.
He also lauded the efforts exerted by the Arab and Islamic countries in confronting the immoral violations and practices perpetrated by the Israeli Occupation Forces.
Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa stressed that peace and violence are two opposites that never meet and that he who seeks peace does not resort to violence or force to harm others or infringe on their rights and violate their sanctities.
He said He who seek peace would rather be totally keen to protect rights, cooperative and responsive to every initiative or effort that would bring peace and put the entire region on the threshold of a long-sought new phase.
The Council of the Arab League, in its extraordinary session, has issued a statement strongly condemning Israel’s dangerous escalation in the occupied city of Jerusalem and the Holy Mosque of Al-Aqsa, stressing its absolute rejection of Israel’s attempt to impose new facts on the ground aimed at changing the existing historical and legal situation , in clear violation of its legal responsibilities as the occupying force, calling on it not to repeat closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the future.
