FM chairs 6th Arab Ministerial Committee meeting to confront illegal Israeli policies

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Safadi on Wednesday in Cairo chaired the 6th meeting of the Arab Ministerial Committee in charge of international action to confront illegal Israeli policies and measures in the occupied city of Jerusalem.

The meeting precedes the 159th ordinary session of the Arab League at the ministerial level, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

During the meeting, Safadi reviewed the committee’s efforts to mobilise international support to stop Israel’s illegal and illegitimate practices in occupied Jerusalem. 

He also went over the efforts aimed at creating genuine political grounds for a return to serious and effective negotiations to achieve a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution. 

The minister said that this solution would contribute to the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the pre-1967 lines to live in security and peace alongside Israel, in accordance with international law, international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

He stressed that the Kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, will continue exerting all efforts to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, within the framework of the Hashemite Custodianship to protect and preserve the sites’ Islamic and Christian Arab identity.

The committee convened under the presidency of Jordan and the memberships of Algeria, president of the current Arab Summit, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, as the Arab member of the Security Council and Secretary-General of the Arab League. 

Safadi presented an update on Israeli attacks and violations in Jerusalem and reviewed the committee’s progress since its fifth meeting, and the efforts of internationally influential member states to counter Israeli violations against occupied Jerusalem, its people and its Islamic and Christian holy sites. 

He also referred to the recent meeting in Aqaba, hosted by the Kingdom, aimed at working towards de-escalation and stopping unilateral actions, preventing further violence and preserving Jerusalem’s historical and legal status.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki briefed the committee on the Israeli government’s extremist aggression against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

He also referred to the legalisation of settlement outposts, the expansion of Israeli colonial settlements and the intensification of Israeli crimes and aggressions in Jerusalem, targeting Islamic and Christian holy sites, mainly against Al Aqsa Mosque, and threats to close it and escalate intrusions during Ramadan. 

The Palestinian minister also referred to the growing number of field executions, house demolitions, forced displacements and the confiscation of property in Jerusalem.

He called on all to work to save Jerusalem “before it is too late”, to provide the necessary practical support to enhance the resilience of the people of Jerusalem to systematic Israeli violations against them, and support Palestine’s legal, political and diplomatic momentum in international institutions, including in international justice mechanisms.

During the meeting, the participating ministers emphasised the need to continue enhancing the joint Arab action to stand up to Israeli actions aimed at changing the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites. 

They also stressed the importance of boosting efforts to preserve the Arab identity of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites, and halting unilateral Israeli measures that undermine the two-state solution and provocative actions that lead to tension and violence. 

They also stressed the need to support the steadfastness of the people of Jerusalem and protect them from the continuing dangers posed by the policy of building and expanding settlements, demolishing homes, confiscating land and displacing Palestinians from their homes.

The ministers also stressed the importance of the role of the Hashemite Custodianship over the Islamic and Christian Arab holy sites in Jerusalem, under which His Majesty King Abdullah assumes the responsibility of protecting these holy sites and preserving their Arab, Islamic and Christian identity.