ISLAMABAD – Pakistan chaired an extra-ordinary meeting of the Organizationof Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah to discuss the escalating Israeliviolations against Al-Aqsa Mosque and ongoing hostilities in Palestine.
The meeting was held in light of the escalation of daily Israeli attacks onAl-Aqsa Mosque by closing its gates, invading it by groups of extremistsettlers and the Israeli occupation forces, and attacking daily worshipersinside it, which led to the wounding and arrest of hundreds of them, OICsaid in a statement.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said on Monday that Pakistanparticipated in the meeting as of OIC- Council of Foreign Ministers.
In his statement at the extra-ordinary session, Pakistan’s PermanentAmbassador to OIC Rizwan Saeed Sheikh strongly condemned the attacks oninnocent worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli occupation forces.
Rejecting the attempts to divide the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, temporally andspatially, Ambassador Sheikh urged the OIC Member States to do their utmostto stop Israel from crossing this red line.
He pointed out that closure to worshippers of Al-Ibrahimi Mosque inAl-Khalil was yet another affront to the sanctity of Islamic holy sites inthe occupied territories.
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He also expressed deep concern over the series of Israeli actions in theoccupied AI-Quds Al-Sharif, aimed at changing its legal status, demographiccomposition and Arab-Islamic character. He added that the letter and spiritof UNSC Resolution number 2334 must be upheld not only to the extent ofoccupied Palestinian territories but also in other similar situationscharacterized by blatant disregard and violation of the relevant UNSCResolutions.
Condemning the widespread and systematic Israeli crimes against unarmedPalestinian people, he emphasized the importance and urgency of ending theIsraeli occupation of Palestine, which was the root cause of all systematicviolations against basic human rights and freedoms of Palestinians.
The Permanent Representative called upon the international community totake urgent steps to protect innocent Palestinian lives, and upholdinternational law and principles of the UN Charter.
