Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The UAE strongly condemned the Israeli police forces' storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, assaulting worshipers and arresting a number of them.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation reaffirmed the UAE's firm position on the need to provide full protection for Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to stop dangerous and provocative violations in it, stressing that worshippers in the mosque should not barricade themselves or tamper with weapons and explosives inside places of worship.
The Ministry stressed the importance of respecting the role of the brotherly Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in caring for sanctities and endowments in accordance with international law and the existing historical situation, and not to prejudice the authority and powers of managing the endowments of Jerusalem and the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The ministry called on the Israeli authorities to stop the escalation and not take steps to exacerbate tension and instability in the region, stressing the UAE's rejection of all practices that violate international legitimacy resolutions and threaten further escalation.
The ministry stressed the importance of supporting all regional and international efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East, as well as putting an end to illegal practices that threaten reaching a two-state solution and establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.