Amidst continued digging by Israeli authorities around the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, several world bodies including states and organizations voiced concern over the actions, calling for their immediate halt.
The Qatari government warned of incurring any damage to the holy site, calling the Israeli construction works a ‘violation of the international legitimacy’s resolutions’.
Iran’s president, Ahmad Nejad, condemned the Israeli digging around the mosque, believing it is provocative and will only further fuel hostility in the region.
The French Foreign Ministry called Israel to refrain from any actions that would ignite tension in Jerusalem, considering such actions as a ‘sensitive issue’.
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference, Akmaleldin Ihasan Oglo, regarded the actions as ‘ an Israeli crime’ , violating flagrantly all international laws.
In the Jordanian capital of Amman, deputies of the Islamic Work Front stated that the Israeli work in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa mosque is merely a ‘declaration of war’, calling on all Arab and Islamic governments to put Jerusalem on top of international relations.
Head of the Jordanian Islamic Brotherhood Group, Soud Abu Mahfoud, warned of what he called an ‘Israeli scheme to transform the Al-aqsa mosque, leading eventually to demolition of its western wall’.
Al-Aqsa mosque, considered the third holiest site for Muslims worldwide, has always been one of the main reasons behind tension in the region. This was reinforced in 2000 when former Israeli PM, Ariel Sharon, paid a provocative visit, thus sparking a 7-year long second Palestinian uprising.
