CAIRO, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League and Egypt on Sunday condemned the ongoing Israeli escalation in the Palestinian territories and repeated settler incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, warning of the repercussions of such practices on the situation in the Palestinian territories.
In a statement, the Arab League strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli escalation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, as well as tightened military measures, closures and restrictions imposed on the movement of Palestinians in conjunction with the Jewish holidays.
The Arab League also warned of the serious escalation targeting the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and attempts to create new realities there.
The Arab League called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to assume its responsibilities and compel Israel to halt all measures and practices that violate the rights of the Palestinian people and freedom of worship, as well as the existing historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.
Egypt, in a statement by its foreign ministry, also condemned the ongoing Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank, repeated settler incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the protection of Israeli police, and tightened restrictions on the movement of Palestinians.
It expressed its categorical rejection of statements by Israeli officials calling for expanding operations in the West Bank and undermining the Palestinian Authority, stressing the need to halt all unilateral and escalatory measures and respect the existing historical and legal status of Jerusalem.
Egypt also reiterated its support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is regarded by Muslims as their third-holiest site.
Earlier Sunday, the Jerusalem Governorate of the Palestinian Authority said that 1,143 settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy Israeli police protection, coinciding with the second day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.
Also on Sunday, in an interview with Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the complete dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and an all-out military campaign against West Bank cities and refugee camps, using tactics similar to those employed in Gaza since October 2023. ■
