UN Security Council Members Stress Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque Status Quo
U.N. Security Council contributors voiced difficulty on Thursday and confused the want to preserve a standing quo on the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, days after Israel’s new far-proper protection minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in short visited the web website online. The decades-antique fame quo permits handiest Muslim worship on the compound, a domain additionally respected with the aid of using Jews, who name it the Temple Mount. An Israeli legit stated Ben-Gvir complied with the association that permits non-Muslims to go to however now no longer pray.
Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour driven for the Security Council to take action – a flow that become not likely given the USA historically shields Israel. The United States, Russia, China, France and Britain are all council veto powers.
“What pink line does Israel want to move for the Security Council to subsequently say, sufficient is sufficient,” Mansour informed the 15-member council, accusing Israel of showing “absolute contempt.”
Senior U.N. political beliefs legit, Khaled Khiari, informed the council it become the primary go to to the web website online with the aid of using an Israeli cupboard minister seeing that 2017.
“While the go to become now no longer observed or accompanied with the aid of using violence, it’s miles visible as especially inflammatory given Mr. Ben-Gvir’s beyond advocacy for modifications to the fame quo,” he stated.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has known as for all events to chorus from steps that might strengthen tensions in and across the holy sites.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan informed journalists beforehand of the meeting: “Jews are approved to go to the holiest web website online in Judaism. It is the proper of each Jew, each Jew. Israel has now no longer harmed the fame quo and has no plans to do so.”
Ben-Gvir as soon as known as for finishing the ban on Jewish prayer on the web website online, however has been non-committal on the difficulty seeing that aligning with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Other contributors of Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power celebration nevertheless endorse any such flow.
The United States is devoted to a two-nation method to the struggle among Israel and the Palestinians and become “involved with the aid of using any unilateral acts that exacerbate tensions or undermine the viability of a two-nation solution,” U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Robert Wood informed the council.
“We notice that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s governing platform requires upkeep of the fame quo with relation to the holy places. We anticipate the Government of Israel to comply with via on that commitment,” Wood stated.