UN Security Council Urges Restraint after Israeli Attack on Al Aqsa Mosque
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The UN Security Council expressed concern over the recent escalation of tensions in East al-Quds (East Jerusalem), particularly in Al Aqsa Mosque, one of the most important religious sites in the city.
At the start of this week, Israeli police attacked Palestinians in East al-Quds, particularly at the holy site of Al Aqsa Mosque. The clashes subsided on Wednesday, after the Jewish New Year holiday ended on Tuesday night.
"The members of the Security Council called for the immediate cessation of violence, and for all appropriate steps to be taken to ensure that violence ceases, that provocative actions are avoided, and that the situation returns to normality in a way which promotes the prospects for Middle East peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians," the council said in a Thursday statement, Sputnik News reports.
"The members of the Security Council underscored that Muslim worshipers at the Al Aqsa Mosque must be allowed to worship in peace, free from violence, threats and provocations," the statement added.
The Al-Aqsa mosque is considered to be the third holiest place of worship for Muslims. Tensions have been boiling for months at the site in Old Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967.
After the 1967 war when Israel occupied East Jerusalem in violation of international law, Jews were restricted from praying on the Al-Aqsa plaza. The so-called Jewish ultranationalists are pushing Israeli authorities to allow Jewish prayers on the compound outside Al-Aqsa, which stands above the Western Wall, something that irks Jerusalem’s Muslims.
Right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is supporting the Jewish ultranationalists.
Muslim groups say Israelis are trying to change the situation on the ground and give the Jews expanded rights over the holy site.
