Safadi chairs Arab ministerial meeting on confronting illegal Israeli policies

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Tuesday chaired the fifth meeting of the Arab ministerial committee, which is in charge of international action to confront illegal Israeli policies and measures in the occupied Jerusalem, prior to the holding of the 158th regular session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level.

Safadi reviewed the efforts exerted by the committee since holding an emergency meeting in Amman last April, during which the situation in Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif was discussed, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The Jordanian minister affirmed the Kingdom's continuing efforts, led by His Majesty King Abdullah, to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites and preserve Jerusalem’s Arab, Islamic and Christian identity as part of the Hashemite Custodianship.

Safadi referred to the committee's endeavours to mobilise international support to stop the illegal Israeli measures in occupied Jerusalem.

He also focused on efforts aimed at creating “a real political horizon” that would pave the way for serious and effective negotiations to achieve a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution, which embodies an independent, sovereign Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital on the lines of June 4, 1967, living in peace and security alongside Israel in accordance with international law, international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The committee’s fifth meeting was based on the Arab League Council Resolution No. (8660) which dealt with Israeli aggression against Jerusalem and its people, including Al Aqsa Mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, the committee indicated in a statement.

The resolution stipulated forming an Arab ministerial committee to communicate with the permanent members of the UN Security Council and other globally influential countries, the committee added. 

The foreign minister presented the efforts of the committee’s work since its fourth meeting, actions taken by the committee;s member states, and the latest Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem, the committee said. 

Safadi briefed the committee on the gravity of Israeli measures which aim to change the existing legal and historical status quo in Al Aqsa Mosque and allow extremists to storm it and openly recite Talmudic prayers and rituals seeking to Judaise it.

The systematic Israeli aggressive policy against Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites seeks to demolish Palestinian homes and forcibly displace Jerusalemites, create unprecedented escalation and Judaisation schemes and projects in the city and plunder more Palestinian land, the statement noted.

Such policy attempts to obliterate and distort Arab and Islamic culture and identity, change educational curricula, and impose a forged Israeli curriculum instead of the Palestinian curriculum in the city. 

During the meeting, member state ministers stressed the importance of strengthening joint Arab action to unify efforts against the illegal Israeli measures in Jerusalem, highlighting the need to support the resilience of Jerusalemites and protect them from the constant danger posed by the policy of constructing and expanding settlements, demolishing homes, plundering land and displacing Palestinians.

The ministers also underlined the importance of continuing joint action to confront Israeli policies, which represent a flagrant violation of international law, infringing the rights of Palestinians to live freely and safely within an  independent, sovereign, and geographically connected state. 

The ministers reaffirmed that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestine, rejecting any attempt to detract from the right to Palestinian sovereignty over it.

They also condemned unilateral measures affecting the legal status quo of Jerusalem, urging adherence to the concept of just and comprehensive peace, which is conditioned by the end of the occupation and the embodiment of an independent, sovereign Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital on the June 4, 1967 lines, in accordance with international law, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the land-for-peace principle.

Attendees highlighted the role of the Hashemite Custodianship in protecting Arab Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, preserving their Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, and maintaining the historical and legal status quo in them.

The ministers also commended the continuous efforts exerted by King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee to defend Al Aqsa Mosque and support Jerusalemites.