Yesterday evening, Thursday, the work of the emergency Security Council session began in New York, which discusses Israel's violation of the status quo in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Israel denounced the session, describing it as "absurd."
The Arab and Islamic countries called on the UN Security Council to issue - during its meeting - an explicit condemnation of the storming of the extremist Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, last Tuesday, into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"It is the responsibility of the international community to decide to preserve and protect the historical status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sites," the Palestinian delegate to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, surrounded by dozens of ambassadors from Arab and Islamic countries to the organization.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Cabinet for Security and Political Affairs (the Cabinet) discussed yesterday, Thursday, in a special session, the repercussions of the Israeli Minister of National Security's storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the international reactions to this step.
Tel Aviv exerted pressure on the member states of the UN Security Council to prevent the issuance of a statement condemning Ben Gvir's storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
inflammatory break-in
For his part, Khaled Khayari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Affairs at the United Nations, said that the latest developments in East Jerusalem are worrying, adding that Ben Gvir's storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque "incites and causes a lot of violence."
Khayari stressed that the storming is considered a provocation that may foretell the outbreak of violent incidents that lead to bloodshed, stressing that the situation in the holy places is fragile and may ignite all parts of the Palestinian territories, and he also called for preserving the status quo and the role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Jerusalem.
In turn, the representative of Palestine asked about the red lines that Israel must cross for the Security Council to act, and said that the occupation authorities showed complete disregard for the sanctity of Palestinian life, international law, and the sanctity and sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"Absurd and pathetic"
Israel condemned the session, which came at the request of a Palestinian-Jordanian, to discuss the storming and other developments in Jerusalem, describing it as "absurd" and "pathetic."
"I am really, really shocked," Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said outside the Security Council chamber.
"It's absurd," he told reporters.
He emphasized that there was no reason whatsoever for holding this emergency session.
Erdan denied that Minister Ben Gvir's visit was a "breaking into Al-Aqsa Mosque" or a departure from the historical "status quo" related to the holy places in Jerusalem.
He also said, "To claim that a short and totally legitimate visit should lead to an emergency session of the Security Council is pathetic."
international positions
In turn, the representative of Jordan condemned the Israeli Minister of National Security's storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque under the guard and protection of the Israeli occupation forces.
He stressed that storming Al-Aqsa Mosque and violating its sanctity is a provocative step that is rejected and represents a flagrant violation of international law and the existing legal and historical situation in the city of Jerusalem.
For his part, the representative of the UAE said that his country condemns the Israeli minister's storming of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, which leads to "destabilizing the fragile situation and distances the region from the path of peace that we all seek."
The German government also described the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque as provocative, and called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abide by the status quo in the holy sites.
Washington expressed its opposition to any unilateral measures that undermine the status quo in the holy sites in Jerusalem.
The representative of Russia also renewed his country's refusal to violate the status quo of Jerusalem, and expressed his hope that the new cabinet in Israel would not take any measures that would hinder the peace process.
The Chinese delegate said that what we are witnessing now is not the best way to start the new year, adding that his country is concerned about any unilateral actions that lead to an escalation of tensions, which heralds clashes and confrontations affecting the religious status of the sanctities.
The representative of France expressed his country's deep concern about Ben Gvir's storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and stressed that everything possible should be done to prevent an escalation that has dire consequences on the ground.
The European Union criticized Ben Gvir's visit, and the German news agency quoted a spokesman for the European Union's foreign policy official, Josep Borrell, as saying that the EU countries are concerned about the steps that conflict with preserving the status quo of the holy sites.