The role of the Al-Quds Committee, chaired by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, through the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency, in supporting the Holy City and its inhabitants, and the Arab and Islamic institutional work, was hailed by the Arab Ministerial Committee in charge of the international action against the illegal Israeli policies and measures in occupied Al-Quds, which held an emergency meeting on April 21, 2022, in Amman, Jordan.
In the final statement issued at the end of this meeting, in which Morocco was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, the resilience of the Palestinian people and its institutions in the defense of Al-Quds and its Holy Places, namely the Al Aqsa Mosque, was put forward along with the right of the Palestinians to enjoy their freedom and to establish an independent Palestinian State within the 1967 borders with East Al Quds as its capital on the basis of two States in accordance with international resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the references adopted.
The statement also stressed the need for Israel to end its practices of escalation and aggression in all the occupied Palestinian territories, to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and to end all measures that undermine security and peace and jeopardize the two-state solution and the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace, which remains an Arab strategic choice and a regional and international necessity.
The meeting warned of the consequences of the continued lack of political prospects and economic pressures on the Palestinian people and the Palestinian National Authority, while calling for the intensification of regional and international efforts to restore and maintain peace and revive serious and effective negotiating actions that can restore confidence in the peace process and in a consensual solution that can end the conflict and achieve a just and comprehensive peace.
The statement also expressed the rejection of all illegal Israeli practices aimed at changing the legal and historical status in the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque and any attempt to impose its temporal and spatial division, and the condemnation of these practices as a flagrant violation of international law and Israel's responsibility as an occupying power.
The participants in this meeting called on Israel to respect the historical and legal status of Al Haram Al Qudsi Asharif (Temple Mount) and return it to what it was before the year 2000, and in a way that ensures respect for the fact that the Al-Aqsa Mosque, with an area of 144 dunums, is a place of worship reserved for Muslims, and the visit of non-Muslims is organized by the Department of Islamic Waqfs under the Jordanian Ministry of Waqfs and Muslim Holy Places in its capacity as the authority with exclusive competence to manage all the affairs of Al Haram and regulate access to it.
The meeting discussed the latest developments on the Palestinian scene, ways to reduce the current escalation in Al-Quds and in the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as the repercussions and confrontations between the two Palestinian and Israeli sides that have resulted from these developments.
Discussions also focused on how to put an end to all practices targeting the Arab-Islamic and Christian identity of the city of Al-Quds.
The Committee's members include, in addition to the Kingdom of Morocco, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Palestine, Qatar, Egypt, Tunisia in its capacity as chairman of the Arab Summit, and Algeria. The United Arab Emirates, as an Arab member state of the Security Council, and the Secretary General of the League of Arab States will also participate in the meeting.
This meeting is the fourth of the committee formed by the Ministerial Council of the Arab League last year, and its last meeting was held in Cairo last September on the sidelines of the 157th ordinary session of the Council of the League of Arab States at ministerial level.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
