New Delhi: Muslim academics, scholars, activists and diplomats based in India condemned Israel’s raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque.
#Palestinian envoy to India said, “In occupied territories, #Israel continues to violate all kinds of human rights.” He was speaking at a conference “Tahfuz Masjid Al Aqsa” in the capital.
“We strongly condemn Israel’s latest raid on Masjid al-Aqsa. We believe that this attack carried out on April 5, 2023, during the holy month of Ramadan, justifies once again the definition of Israel as a ‘terrorist state,'” the Ambassador of Palestine in India, Adnan Abu Alhaijaa, said in his address at conference in New Delhi.
Religious leaders and diplomats from Iran , academicians and other scholars also condemned the violence at the #AlAqsaMosque during the holy month of Ramadan.
On Sunday, the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said 912 settlers stormed Al Aqsa Mosque on the Jewish Passover holiday, which continues until April 12.
Tension escalated across Palestinian territories after Israeli forces stormed the Al Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem and forcibly removed worshippers last week.
The Israeli raids on the mosque triggered rocket fire from Gaza and Lebanon, with Israel retaliating with airstrikes.
Soon after that world leaders and global organizations expressed concern about and condemned Israeli violence against Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday, with some warning that it could further escalate tensions in the region.
Condemnations pour over Israel's attacks on #AlAqsaMosque , Muslim academics, Scholars and Irani diplomats in #Delhi also condemned Israel's raid. #Palestine envoy to India says, "In occupied territories, #Israel continues to violate all kinds of human rights." #WATCH @AfricaWnn pic.twitter.com/SSmCjwqaqz
— Dr. Shahid Siddiqui (@shahidsiddiqui) April 10, 2023
Germany urged both sides “to do everything possible to calm the situation.”
The Arab League denounced “the attack on the faithful” and called an emergency meeting.
Jordan, which administers the mosque, condemned its “storming,” and called on Israeli forces to leave the compound immediately.
The United Arab Emirates and Morocco, which established ties with Israel in 2020 as part of U.S.-brokered accords, also strongly condemned the Israeli police action.
A UAE foreign ministry statement rejected all practices that “threaten to further exacerbate escalation”. It also criticized worshippers who “barricade themselves.”
Rabat’s foreign ministry stressed the need “to avoid measures and violations likely to damage chances of peace in the region.”
The Gulf emirate of Qatar, which does not recognize Israel, warned that Israeli practices “will have serious repercussions on security and stability in the region, and will undermine efforts to revive the stalled peace process, if the international community does not hasten to take action.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voiced concern about violence, but fell short of condemning the violence.
“It is the holy month of Ramadan and Passover together, and both Israeli and Palestinian families deserve to be able to celebrate in peace and security,” he said.
“We are concerned by the violence around Al-Aqsa Mosque during this holy month. We need to see the Israeli government shifting in its approach,” said Trudeau.
In the latest report, Israel halted visits by Jews and tourists to a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site on Tuesday and its military said soldiers shot dead two Palestinian gunmen in the occupied West Bank, as a wave of unrest showed no sign of subsiding.
Earlier also, the Israeli police prevented Palestinians under the age of 50 from entering Al Aqsa Mosque to perform prayers, witnesses said.
The witnesses said that police forces were deployed in the Al Aqsa courtyard before allowing groups of dozens of settlers to storm it through the Mughrabi Gate in the western wall of the mosque.
The police also removed a number of worshipers from the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque during the settlers’ incursions.
-Dr. M Shahid Siddiqui (PhD), Follow via Twitter @shahidsiddiqui
