Egypt demands Israel stop violence in Jerusalem

CAIRO – 21 July 2017: Egypt demanded Israeli authorities “halt the violence and security escalations against Palestinians in Jerusalem, immediately,” on Friday.

The foreign ministry expressed its concern regarding the huge escalation “due the excessive use of force.” The statement stressed the necessity of respecting Islamic holy sites and the right of practicing the religious rites in complete safety.

Egypt also called on the Israeli government to “Keep an open mind; otherwise the situation will escalate into a serious stage of which no one will be able to get out,” the statement read.

On July 14, Israeli authorities decided to close the mosque and prevent Palestinians from praying there, which was considered a huge escalation. The closing of Al Aqsa for the first time since 1969 was condemned internationally, but the mosque remains closed.

Several clashes have taken place since then between Palestinians and Israeli forces close to Bab Al-Asbat, one of the mosque’s doors, and hundreds have been injured.

The Israeli violations have taken place regularly every week, as no one allowed to enter or pray at the mosque under the age of 50, which prevents a large number of Muslims from praying.

Both the Egypt Support Coalition and Al-Azhar (the most prestigious Islamic authority) condemned the Israeli attacks earlier in official statements. They demanded the international community to take firm stance to save Al Aqsa mosque, which considered one of the holiest Islamic places, after The Great Mosque of Mecca and Al-Masjid an-Nabawī (the Prophet's Mosque) in Saudi Arabia.