Malaysia condemns closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque
KOTA KINABALU: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman condemns in the strongest terms the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on 14 July 2017 by Israeli authorities.
Israel’s provocative action constitutes a flagrant violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites. Such action is also a serious violation of the rights of Muslims to worship in peace, free from violence, threats and provocations, he said.
Anifah, at the Open-Ended Extraordinary Meeting of the OIC executive committee in Istanbul Turkey on Tuesday stressed that freedom to worship was a right guaranteed under international law.
“We must oppose any violation of such rights. In this regard, we reiterate our call for Israel to provide unhindered access to the AlAqsa Mosque. We reaffirm that the sanctity of religious sites must be respected and preserved. We also urge Israel to halt all activities that can have the effect of altering the status quo and character of the Islamic holy sites,” he said.
Anifah said recent clashes between the Israeli security forces and Palestinians on July 21 in the West Bank had resulted in many casualties.
If left unaddressed, the violence will bring untold sufferings, deaths and destructions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Malaysia, he said, calls on all parties to refrain from actions that could further escalate tensions and violence in East Jerusalem.
He also said the developments in East Jerusalem were extremely worrying. Plans announced by Israel to increase the development of housing units to a rate of over 30 percent more than in 2016 in East Jerusalem is a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016).
In this regard, Malaysia urges the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibility in implementing this historic resolution.
To allow the resolution to remain unimplemented would mean failure to reverse the negative trend which is threatening the two-state solution. Malaysia firmly believes that the two-state solution remains the most viable solution for both sides, he said.
“Malaysia also commends and supports the efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah The Second ibni Al-Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Custodian of the Holy Sites of Jerusalem, to restore calm in the holy city.
“There are 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. As humans, we cannot avoid misunderstandings. The Muslim Ummah must be able to solve its own problems, before it can confront a bigger challenge. We must not lose sight of the bigger picture that is the importance of unity of the Muslim Ummah.
“In conclusion, Malaysia would like to reaffirm our resolute support to seek a just, comprehensive and durable solution to the realization of the two-state solution with an independent State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Anifah said.