Gaza: The Palestinian Presidency issued a warning regarding the ongoing religious conflict, highlighting the escalating tensions due to actions taken by the Israeli occupation army and colonists against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and other religious sites.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the Presidency emphasized that these systematic attacks have crossed critical boundaries, posing a significant risk of sparking a religious conflict with potentially severe repercussions for the region and globally. The statement from the Presidency pointed to an incident where colonists attempted to set fire to the Nur al-Din Zangi Mosque in Beita, northwest of Nablus, and defaced its walls with racist slogans. This act coincided with the Israeli internal security minister's storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, illustrating what the Presidency views as a systematic policy endorsed by the Israeli government.
The Presidency expressed concerns that these actions, including the targeting of mosques and places of worship, repeated incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the allowance of Talmudic rituals in its courtyards, are not isolated events. They are perceived as part of a broader agenda to alter the historical and legal status quo of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, imposing Israeli control and undermining its Islamic identity.
Furthermore, the Presidency placed responsibility on the occupying government for the continued attacks and incitement, warning of the dangerous escalation these actions could lead to. It reiterated that the Al-Aqsa Mosque, encompassing an area of 144 dunams, is an Islamic mosque, and that East Jerusalem, along with its Islamic and Christian holy sites, remains an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory. Any attempts to change the established historical and legal status quo were deemed illegitimate by the Presidency.
The Palestinian Presidency called for urgent intervention by the international community and urged the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, to take effective measures to halt these actions. It stressed the need for international protection for the Palestinian people and their holy sites, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.