OIC Chief Condemns Israeli Attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad bin Amin Madani condemned recent attacks by Israeli forces on Muslim worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
In a statement on Sunday, the OIC chief strongly decried the desecration of the holy mosque by the Israeli forces and described the attack as “a continuation of the crimes and terrorism that has been perpetrated by the Israeli occupation in order to impose Israeli aspirations to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque according to zones and times.”
Madani further called on the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to seriously act in order to put an end to these repeated Israeli aggressions and provide protection for the Palestinian people and their holy places, according to the official website of the OIC.
The secretary general also stressed the need for not turning a blind eye to Israeli crimes in Al-Aqsa Mosque, which will, eventually, fuel violence and tension in the region and the whole world.
The OIC Secretary General added that this dangerous escalation in Israeli assaults would be included on the agenda of the coordination meeting of Foreign Ministers of OIC Member States, to be held in New York at the end of this month.
Israeli forces and Palestinians clashed for the second consecutive day at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday, with Israeli troops firing stun grenades and rubber bullets which injured at least one Palestinian.
The clashes come a day after violent confrontations at the holy site on Sunday, during which witnesses said Israeli police entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque itself and caused damage.
Witnesses told Ma’an news agency that Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound shortly after dawn prayers, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades, leading to the injury of several worshipers.
The forces then surrounded worshipers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and closed its doors with “chains and bars” before firing rubber-coated bullets inside the holy site, witnesses said.