The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday summoned the Israeli ambassador in Abu Dhabi to protest against Israel's operations in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Reem Al Hashemy, Emirati Minister of State for International Cooperation, informed Amir Hayek, Ambassador of Israel to the UAE, of the country's strong protest and denunciation of the events taking place in Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque, including attacks on civilians and incursions into holy places that resulted in the injury of a number of civilians. Al Hashemy stressed the need to immediately stop these events, provide full protection for worshipers, respect the right of Palestinians to practice their religious rites, and halt any practices that violate the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque. Moreover, she expressed concern over the escalation of tension that threatens stability and security in the region. Furthermore, she underscored the need to respect the custodial role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan over the holy sites and endowments in accordance with international law and the historical situation at hand, and not to compromise the authority of the Jerusalem Endowment Administration and Al Aqsa Mosque. Al Hashemy stressed the need to foster an appropriate environment that would allow a return to serious negotiations aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive peace and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with legitimate international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. On Monday, Jordan's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Haitham Abu Al-Foul stressed the need to respect the right of worshippers to perform their prayers without any restrictions, calling for ending all attempts to impose temporal and spatial division in the holy sites. The Jordanian official said the Israeli charge d'affaires was asked to immediately convey the protest message to the Israeli government, adding that the message calls for an immediate cease of all measures seeking to alter the status quo of the Al-Aqsa mosque. The tension between Israel and the Palestinians has flared up in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past three weeks as the Jewish festival of Passover overlap with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. — Agencies
