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The African Union Commission has condemned the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli authorities, warning that the move could escalate tensions across the region.
The union, in a joint statement issued on Thursday, alongside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the League of Arab States (LAS), declared that closing the mosque is a violation of the Palestinians’ rights.
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The signatories called the continued closure of the “blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque” to Palestinians Muslim worshippers provocative, while emphasising the importance of the month of Ramadan to the worshippers.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in the Old City of Jerusalem, is considered the third-holiest site in Islam. It has frequently been a focal point of tension between Israeli authorities and Palestinian worshippers.
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Israel, however, closed down the site, alongside all other holy sites in the East of Jerusalem, because these areas are susceptible to attack.
On the last day of February, Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Tehran. The resulting war has cascaded into a regional war that is affecting the global economy.
The Israeli closure of Al-Aqsa is occurring amidst the war and during the month of Ramadan.
In their statement, the AU Commission, the OIC and the LAS insisted that Israel’s action violates the existing historical and legal status of the “Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied city of Jerusalem.”
They also stressed that Israel risked provoking the feelings of Muslims across the world, adding that its actions were an assault on the established religious rights and heritage of the Islamic nation.
They said Israel must be accountable for the outcomes of its “illegal and provocative measures.”
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They also called on the “international community, in particular the UN Security Council, to assume its responsibilities in obliging the Israeli occupation authorities to respect the right to freedom of worship.”
The bodies demanded that the UN act to “preserve and protect the existing historical and legal status of the holy places, by immediately reopening the gates of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to lift all restrictions imposed on the access of Palestinian citizens to the occupied city of Jerusalem.”
They also demanded a guarantee for Palestinians to “exercise their established religious rights there and the preservation of its landmarks, heritage and cultural identity, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 252 of 1968, 267 of 1969 and 476 of 1980.”
