Cairo, March 14 (Petra) – The Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIS), and the African Union Commission on Saturday stressed the key status of the holy city of Jerusalem and the inalienable religious rights and eternal connection of Muslims to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site.

In a joint statement, the organizations condemned the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Haram Al Sharif by the Israeli occupation authorities to Muslim worshippers, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

"This constitutes a grave violation of the historical and legal status quo of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem, an attack on the inalienable religious rights of the Muslim nation and its heritage, a provocation of the feelings of Muslims worldwide, and a violation of freedom of worship and the sanctity of holy sites," they said.

The statement held Israel, the occupying power, fully responsible for the consequences of such illegal and provocative measures, warning that their continuation threatens to escalate violence and tension, and undermines regional and international peace and security.

Israel, the occupying power, has no sovereignty over the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including occupied East Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine, the statement said. It stressed its absolute rejection of all illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed to alter the city's geographic and demographic character, its Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity, and attempts to diminish Palestinian sovereignty and presence therein.

The statement emphasized that the Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its 144-dunum area, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims.

It called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to uphold its responsibility to compel the Israeli occupation authorities to respect the right to freedom of worship, preserve and protect the historical and legal status quo of the holy sites, immediately reopen the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, lift restrictions on Palestinian access to occupied Jerusalem, and guarantee their inalienable religious rights therein, while safeguarding its landmarks, heritage, and cultural identity, in accordance with UN resolutions 252 of 1968, 267 of 1969, and 476 of 1980.

The statement reiterated unwavering support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the right to freedom, self-determination, and to set up an independent and sovereign state within the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

It also expressed support for international efforts to realize the two-state solution as a strategic option for a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the region.

//Petra//SS