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Ahram Online
The Egyptian Permanent Representative to the UN, Osama Abdel-Khaleq, warned a United Nation Security Council (UNSC) on Monday against Israeli attempts to “Judaize East Jerusalem and change the historical and legal status quo of its holy sites” and said they “portend a dangerous escalation”.
The UNSC meeting follows recent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces during religious holidays. Over the past three weeks, Israeli forces have repeatedly stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque to force Palestinian worshippers out, as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has coincided with Jewish Passover this year.
“Radical Jewish groups are storming into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Ramadan daily under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. This is reminiscent of the events of 2021 which led to hundreds of deaths and injuries”, Abdel Khaleq added.
The Egyptian representative called on all parties to show restraint and fully protect Muslim worshippers practicing their faith in the mosque.
Egypt has been in talks with several regional and international players to revive the long-frozen Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and, It has repeatedly called for a two-state solution that involves establishing an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Abdel-Khaleq stressed the need to “cease all unilateral measures in the West Bank, including settlement expansions, attempts to expel Palestinian families from the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan and the demolition of Palestinian buildings”.
On Sunday, the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE held a meeting in Cairo where they stressed the importance of respecting the historical legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.
