OCCUPIED JERUSALEM,(Palestine Foundation Information Center) Al-Quds International Institution affirmed that Israel is waging a parallel war in the occupied city of Jerusalem aimed at liquidating its identity and sanctities, in conjunction with the genocide it is committing in the Gaza Strip. The institution called for urgent Arab and Islamic action that goes beyond verbal condemnation and halts the path of normalization.
This came in a statement issued by the institution’s Board of Directors following its meeting on Thursday in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, chaired by Sheikh Hamid bin Abdullah Al-Ahmar, and attended by several board members. The meeting discussed the developments of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the occupation’s accelerating schemes in Jerusalem, and the institution’s efforts to confront them.
The statement warned that Jerusalem has been, and still is, a parallel front to Gaza in terms of liquidation, pointing to the escalation of Judaization measures in Al-Aqsa Mosque, repeated assaults on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, mosques, and cemeteries, in addition to waves of displacement in the neighborhoods of Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah, the demolition of hundreds of buildings, the closure of UNRWA schools, and the accelerated displacement of Bedouin communities in Khan al-Ahmar, Jabal al-Baba, and Wadi Jammal, as part of the US-backed “Greater Jerusalem” project.
Regarding Al-Aqsa Mosque, the institution stressed that the occupation is now openly pursuing its plan to eliminate the Mosque and establish the so-called Temple in its place, warning that “the religious division imposed by the occupation has become a painful reality, and the danger of Judaizing Al-Aqsa is escalating through attempts to build a synagogue inside it or cut off parts of it.” This, the statement said, requires a comprehensive mobilization from the Muslim Ummah to defend the First Qibla.
The statement called on Arab and Islamic countries and their organizations to take practical steps to stop the liquidation war targeting Jerusalem’s identity, warning that the continuation of normalization and watching Gaza’s tragedy unfold will lead to further Israeli aggression, especially in light of statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a “Greater Israel” that includes the occupation of new Arab lands.
In this context, the institution announced its intention to organize the “Covenant for Jerusalem Conference” before the end of this year “with the aim of unifying the Ummah’s efforts in confronting the liquidation war.” It also called for commemorating the anniversary of the burning of Al-Aqsa Mosque on August 21 with media campaigns and field activities.
The statement concluded with a salute to the steadfast people of Gaza, who “have written an epic of patience and blood,” affirming the continuation of its efforts to support them. It also saluted the steadfast worshipers in Jerusalem, the people of the West Bank and 1948 occupied Palestine, the prisoners, and the free people of the world who expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people, calling for greater steadfastness and resistance until the liberation of Jerusalem and its sanctities.
