Palestine calls for US action to stop Israeli violations at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa – Middle East Monitor

Palestine on Sunday called for US and international action to stop Israeli violations in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu reports.

On Saturday, Israeli forces raided the flashpoint site late in the day and forced worshipers out of the complex, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Israel to fulfill its obligation and “stop violations of holy sites in Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, before it is too late.”

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The ministry called the Israeli attack on worshipers inside Al-Aqsa a “serious escalation” and Tel Aviv was fully responsible for its consequences.

Tensions have been high across the West Bank in recent months amid repeated Israeli raids on Palestinian towns.

Nearly 90 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the beginning of this year, according to Palestinian figures. Fourteen Israelis were killed in separate attacks during the same period.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in the world. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the Temple Mount, saying that it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.

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