Egypt condemns renewal of violations against Al Aqsa Mosque by Israeli extremists

CAIRO – 18 July 2021: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Sunday the renewal of violations by Israeli extremists – protected by Israeli forces - against Al Aqsa Mosque.

The condemnation is issued one day ahead of the eve of Al Adha Eid; both are holy Islamic events.

The ministry's spokesperson Ambassador Ahmed Hafez reiterated in a press statement that Egypt has always been warning against breaching the sanctity of the third holiest site among Muslims, and that is a worship place that must be respected.

Hence, it becomes the responsibility of the Israeli authorities to secure worshippers in preservation of security and stability, and to abstain from acts that would create tensions as well as measures that can trigger an escalation, the Egyptian foreign ministry's statement reads.

Equally, the Israeli authorities must go forward with reviving the negotiation process on the bases of international laws, resolutions, and legitimacy within the framework of the two-state solution, the ambassador added.

By the end of the holy month of Ramadan and during Eid El Fitr, violations against worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque stepped up coupled with the eviction of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood so that their houses would be given to settlers. Both acts incurred violence and the firing of rockets from Gaza's Hamas causing a backlash from Israel - mainly airstrikes - and the destruction of a large portion of the strip.