Cairo, April 23 (Petra) -- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi chaired the ninth meeting of the Arab Ministerial Committee tasked with organising international action against illegal Israeli policies and measures in occupied Jerusalem.

The meeting was held on Wednesday in Cairo on the sidelines of the 163rd regular session of the Council of the Arab League at the ministerial level.

The committee includes representatives from Bahrain (current President of the Arab Summit), Palestine, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia and the Secretary-General of the Arab League.

A statement issued after the meeting highlighted the committee's ongoing efforts to address the Israeli aggression in occupied Jerusalem, particularly surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

The meeting was convened in response to Decision No. 8660 issued by the Council of the Arab League on May 11, 2021, during an extraordinary session regarding the situation in occupied Jerusalem.

The committee deliberated on strategies to counter serious Israeli measures and violations in occupied Jerusalem and sought to coordinate a unified approach to halt these systematic policies.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi presented updates on Israeli abuses and violations since the committee's last meeting in September of 2024, detailing communications among member states and their efforts to engage influential countries on the matter.

The committee also received a briefing from the Palestinian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, who emphasised the necessity of collective Arab and international efforts to end the illegal Israeli occupation, citing the humanitarian crises and violations of human rights in occupied Jerusalem.

He called attention to issues such as home demolitions, attempts to erase cultural heritage and arbitrary arrests, especially of children.

Committee members condemned the Israeli actions as clear violations of international law, escalating tensions and undermining the historical and legal identity of occupied Jerusalem.

They reiterated their commitment to strengthen Arab cooperation against illegal Israeli policies, which aim to alter the city's status quo.

The committee denounced the frequent incursions by Israeli ministers and extremist officials into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, asserting that these actions threaten the site's sanctity and integrity.

They condemned the ongoing provocations, including the allowance of settlers to storm the Mosque under Israeli military protection and the restrictions imposed on worshipers, particularly during the month of Ramadan.

The ministers reaffirmed that East Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Palestine and rejected any attempts to undermine Palestinian sovereignty over the city.

They called for a comprehensive peace solution based on the principles of international law and relevant UN resolutions and emphasised the importance of historic Hashemite guardianship in protecting Jerusalem's religious identity.

In closing, the ministers condemned the Israeli policies targeting UNRWA and their decision to close its centres in occupied Jerusalem, which affect thousands of Palestinian refugees dependent on the UN agency's services.

They stressed the necessity of supporting all efforts to safeguard occupied Jerusalem and its people from Israeli ongoing violations.

//Petra// AK

23/04/2025 20:05:40