Foreign Ministers of the UAE, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have issued a statement on Thursday to condemn in the strongest terms the continued and escalating settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including recent attacks on the Grand Mosque in the village of Jiljilya and Al-Farouq Mosque in the village of Mazar’a al-Nubani, north of Ramallah.
On Wednesday, Israeli settlers set fire to mosques in two West Bank villages, their mayors said, with AFP journalists at one site seeing scorched walls and graffiti.
Osama Abdullah, head of the village council in Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, told AFP that “settlers set fire to the ablution room, caused damage to the village’s main mosque, and scrawled hostile slogans on the outer walls”. AFP journalists who visited one mosque on Wednesday saw that the ceiling, walls and floors were blackened by smoke and flames.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
In their joint statement, the ministers of the eight Islamic nations stressed that these attacks constitute a clear violation of the sanctity of places of worship and religious sites, international law, including international humanitarian law, and relevant United Nations resolutions.
They affirmed their absolute rejection of these deplorable attacks by Israeli settlers, as well as the continued illegal Israeli measures in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which fuel instability, violence and extremism and undermine international efforts to achieve peace. They hold Israel, the occupying Power, responsible for these attacks.
The Ministers reiterated their call for the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities and compel Israel to halt its dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank, end its illegal practices, halt settler violence, hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable, and ensure that they do not enjoy impunity.
The Foreign Ministers reaffirm their unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their steadfast support for the realisation of their legitimate and inalienable national rights, foremost among them their right to self-determination and the realization of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They further reaffirm their support for all efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on the two-State solution in accordance with international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative.
The torching incident came during a period of increased attacks against Palestinian communities by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in 2023.
(With inputs from AFP)
Source: Khaleej Times