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Rabat – Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had a phone discussion with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, about potentially arranging a meeting of the Al-Quds committee following the Israeli attack on Palestinians and the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Turkish media, citing sources of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported that the high-level talks took place on Monday. Cavusoglu also talked with the Foreign Ministers of Algeria, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia.
The news of organizing a meeting of the Al-Quds committee comes after the Arab League general secretariat called for a virtual extraordinary session on Tuesday, in light of Israel’s violence towards civilians and attempted home expulsions in occupied Jerusalem.
The meeting is set to take place today as per Palestine’s request and will discuss Israel’s illegal practices of forcing Palestinians from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and their violence against worshippers in the al-Aqsa mosque.
The Al-Quds Committee, part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), was established in 1975 “to follow up the implementation of resolutions the OIC adopts and also those adopted by any other organization in cooperation with the OIC.”
Another part of its mission is “to offer to Member States proposals it deems appropriate on implementation of resolutions, achieving their objectives, and on taking steps on developments that may arise within these terms of reference.”
It also has the mission of “implementing all the resolutions on the Arab-Israeli conflict given the fundamental connection between the Al-Quds question and the conflict.”
Israel and Palestine
Israel’s attack on the al-Aqsa mosque and the state-sanctioned violence towards Palestinians in the old city of Jerusalem on Monday, early morning, resulted in 305 Palestinians injured, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
On Sunday, a statement by the Moroccan government denounced Israel’s violence used to break up Palestinians and considered it “as an inadmissible act that would only lead to growing tensions.”
Morocco emphasized “the need to preserve the special status of the city of Al Quds” and to “protect the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
In addition to Morocco, all Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel condemned the violence.
Overnight on Monday, Israeli security forces fired stun grenades, tear gas, and rubber bullets into the Al-Aqsa mosque to disperse Palestinians who gathered to oppose the illegal forced displacement, resulting in over 50 Palestinians hospitalized.
Yesterday night, violence escalated in the Gaza strip after the Al-Qassam Brigades gave Israel a 6 p.m.deadline to evacuate the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, as well as releasing detainees in Jerusalem.
Israeli security forces fired back at Hamas’ rockets resulting in killing 24 Palestinians including nine children. No injuries were reported from the Israeli side.
Over the past 24 hours, Israeli forces have injured more than 700 Palestinians in Jerusalem and across the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera.
