Muslim Council of Elders calls on international community to protect Al-Aqsa from Israeli violations

Council rejects "sectarian calls" for demonstrating during Hajj

The Muslim Council of Elders held an urgent meeting in the Emirati capital city, Abu Dhabi, on Monday, to discuss the latest Israeli violations on Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the Israeli attempts to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque. The meeting was presided over by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb.
The council called on the Muslim nation to unify efforts to support Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, simultaneously warning of regional calls for demonstrating during the pilgrimage, which the council called as "sectarian calls".
Last week, the Israeli forces installed new security cameras at the entrance to Jerusalem's holy sites, as Israeli officials said that it was considering as alternatives to the metal detectors that raised tensions in the last few days and was rejected by Palestinians, resulting in vast demonstrations.
In an official statement following the meeting, the council said that the "Israeli terror" not only violates Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinians, but also all free Muslims all over the world, rejecting "Israeli violations", which threatened international peace, calling on Muslim leaders and regional and international organisations to take strict positions to stop what he called "Zionist terror" and preventing any changes in the historical status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"The Muslim Council of Elders asserts that the violations against the Palestinian people and its holy places are a real terrorism that are banned by all international laws. The council warns that the continuing of these violations will disturb any chance for talking about peace and will trigger a religious war that may destroy the whole region, and this calls on the international community and international organisations to treat neutrally with the issue and to assert the right of Palestinian people to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital city," the statement read.
On Friday, thousands of Palestinians of all ages have re-entered Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, after a week of tensions following the Israeli measures of putting metal detectors gates at the Muslim-administered Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
The Israeli government announced on Tuesday the removal of metal detectors gates, which had been placed at the entrance to the compound of the mosque, after Palestinian resistance to the Israeli measures.
The council greeted the Palestinian people for their resistance to the Israeli restrictions and announced its participation in Al-Azhar's conference for Jerusalem in September. It also called on the concerned organisations to participate in the conference, and the religious institutions to implement programmes that identify the holy significance of Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the statement.
Moreover, the authority of Islamic endowments in Jerusalem said that more than 238 Israeli settlers have stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Also, the authority formed four committees to count the valuables in the Al-Aqsa Mosque after news that the Israeli forces have stolen important documents from Al-Aqsa Mosque during the duration of its sovereignty on the holy mosque. These documents are related to the properties of the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments in Jerusalem, according to Palestinian media.