Excellency,
I write to draw urgent attention to the dangerous and rising tensions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of Occupied Palestine due to the illegal actions, provocations and incitement by Israel, the occupying Power, including in particular by extremist Israeli settlers and religious zealots, against the Palestinian people, their land and their holy places. Civilian casualties continue to be caused by the violence of Israeli occupying forces and extremist settlers and recent incidents are aggravating religious sensitivities and the fragile situation on the ground, threatening to precipitate a religious conflict and further destabilize the region, which is already experiencing unprecedented turmoil.
For two consecutive days, extremist Israelis escorted by occupying forces broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Al-Haram Al-Sharif), the third holiest site in Islam, in Occupied East Jerusalem. They prevented the entry of Palestinian worshipers and instigated violent confrontations. In this volatile context, on 26 July, an Israeli settler woman shamefully insulted Islam’s Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) with the clear aim of provoking Palestinian worshipers. This incident was caught on a cell phone camera and made public, setting off angry reactions resulting in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli extremists at the Holy Site. [Read more…]
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