SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Eight Muslim-majority countries have condemned recent attacks on two mosques in the occupied West Bank, holding Israel responsible and urging the international community to take action against escalating settler violence.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, June 18, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Türkiye denounced attacks on the Grand Mosque in Jaljilia and Al-Farouq Mosque in Mazra’a al-Nubani, north of Ramallah.
The ministers said the attacks were a blatant violation of the sanctity of places of worship and religious sites, as well as international humanitarian law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
They also criticised what they described as continued illegal Israeli measures in the occupied Palestinian territory, saying such actions fuel instability, violence and extremism while undermining international efforts to achieve peace.
The statement held Israel, as the occupying power, fully responsible for the attacks and called on the international community to fulfil its legal and moral obligations by helping to halt the escalation in the West Bank.
The ministers urged an end to settler violence, accountability for those responsible and measures to ensure perpetrators do not escape punishment.
Palestinian council condemns mosque burnings
Earlier on June 18, the Supreme Fatwa Council in Palestine described the burning of the two mosques as a dangerous escalation against Islamic holy sites.
The council said settlers had set fire to parts of the mosques in Jaljilia and Mazra’a al-Nubani and painted Hebrew-language slogans on their walls. It added that the attacks were part of a broader pattern of assaults on Palestinian villages and towns, including attacks on places of worship, agricultural land and private property.
The latest incidents come amid growing concern over violence in the occupied West Bank. On June 10, Amnesty International accused Israel of facilitating a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians in the territory, alleging that the arming of thousands of settlers had contributed to an increase in attacks.
The eight countries reaffirmed their support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and reiterated backing for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
They also expressed support for efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, in line with international law, relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
SOURCE : SIASAT
