Tarawneh condemns opening of Israeli tunnel

AMMAN — President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union and Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh condemned on Tuesday the opening of the so-called "pilgrim's road" beneath the village of Silwan in Jerusalem as a breach of international law and international humanitarian law.

Israeli actions aim at altering the identity of the Old City, especially Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif and other nearby Islamic and Christian sites, but everything above and underground remains Palestinian, Islamic and Christian, Tarawneh stressed in a press release issued by the Arab Union and carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

Tarawneh also quoted UN Security Council Resolution 2334, saying that Israel’s illegal settlement activity constitutes a "flagrant violation" of international law and has "no legal validity", highlighting the need to immediately suspend Israel’s occupational activities.

On behalf of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, Tarawneh demanded the Security Council shoulder its responsibilities and take immediate measures to stop Israel from digging under Al Aqsa Mosque and the area around it. 

He also demanded UNESCO and the UN secretary general utilise Palestinian organisations to protect Al Aqsa Mosque from the Israeli settlers’ attacks.

Tarawneh also called on Arab and Islamic governments as well as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to take actions to stop Israeli violations.