Al-Azhar to hold int’l conference over Jerusalem in January

CAIRO – 12 December 2017: Al-Azhar announced on Tuesday that it will hold an international conference in Cairo January 17-18, 2018 to support Jerusalem against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb met a number of experts to prepare for the international conference as a practical step to confirm his rejection of the U.S. decision and to support the Arab and Palestinian identity of the Holy City.

The conference will be held in collaboration with the Muslim Council of Elders. Al-Azhar will invite senior scholars and politicians, Islamic and Christian leaders, and regional and international organizations concerned with the Jerusalem case.

The international conference aims to come up with practical decisions commensurate with the serious challenges threatening Jerusalem by the occupying entity that seeks to spread hatred among people by such unfair and inhumane decisions.

Tayeb called for holding the conference as part of a series of immediate decisions to respond to the decision of the U.S. administration to move its embassy to occupied Jerusalem and recognize the city as the capital of Israel.

On Friday, Tayeb announced his rejection to meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, saying, "How can I sit with those who granted what they do not own to those who do not deserve it."

On Wednesday night, Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel during a televised speech from the White House. Trump’s decision was met by a barrage of criticism and condemnations from many Arab and world leaders, while protests took place in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and different parts of the Arab world.

Clashes broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank on Friday. Israeli forces fired tear gas on the protesters, killing two Palestinians and injuring more than 300 others. On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes killed two other Palestinians and injured dozens, raising the injured toll to 1,114 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health on Saturday.