Al-Azhar Urges International Organizations to Maintain Legal Status of Jerusalem

Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb speaks during an inter-religious meeting with Pope Francis at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 4, 2019. REUTERS/Tony Gentile
Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb speaks during an inter-religious meeting with Pope Francis at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 4, 2019. REUTERS/Tony Gentile
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Al-Azhar Urges International Organizations to Maintain Legal Status of Jerusalem

Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb speaks during an inter-religious meeting with Pope Francis at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 4, 2019. REUTERS/Tony Gentile
Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb speaks during an inter-religious meeting with Pope Francis at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 4, 2019. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

Al-Azhar called on all international bodies and organizations to “preserve the legal status of the city of Jerusalem, to affirm its identity and to intervene immediately to stop the attacks by the Israelis.”

In a statement released on Sunday, Al-Azhar warned of continued Israeli plots to Judaize Jerusalem and change its Arab identity, and called on the international community to take immediate action to stop Israeli assaults against the city and its sacred places.

Al-Azhar also condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of Israeli settlers under Israeli police protection on Sunday. The Jewish settlers broke into the holy site from Bab El-Maghareba gate and performed religious rituals.

In March, Al-Azhar condemned the repression by the Israeli occupation forces of peaceful demonstrations and marches organized by the Palestinian people on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of “Land Day” and the “Marches of Return.”

Al-Azhar then stressed its full support for the Palestinian people “in their legitimate struggle for the restoration of their occupied land and their valiant uprising against the policy of land confiscation and Judaization pursued by the occupation forces,” affirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.



G7 Foreign Ministers Say 'Now is the Time' for Lebanon Ceasefire

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
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G7 Foreign Ministers Say 'Now is the Time' for Lebanon Ceasefire

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Foreign Ministers from the G7 democracies on Tuesday upped the pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying "now is the time to conclude a diplomatic settlement."

In a draft statement at the end of a two-day meeting in Italy, the G7 ministers urged Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinians, and condemned increasing settler violence in the West Bank, Reuters reported.

The ministers also condemned recent attack on the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and expressed their support for the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, saying it plays a "vital role."