Egypt, France, Sweden call for UNSC meeting over al-Quds tensions

Rasa - Egypt, France, and Sweden has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting over the recent escalation of tensions concerning the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds.

News ID: 431154

Date: 23 July 2017 - 19:52

RNA - The assembly would be to "urgently discuss how calls for deescalation in Jerusalem can be supported," said Sweden's political affairs coordinator Carl Skau on Saturday.

After the call was made, the UNSC announced that a closed-door meeting over the recent unrest in East Jerusalem al-Quds will be held on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian health ministry announced that a 17-year-old Palestinian has died of wounds he received in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank.

Oday Nawajaa had been hit by live fire and critically injured at al-Azariya east of Jerusalem al-Quds, noted the ministry.

It added that another Palestinian youth also died on Saturday in the West Bank village of Abu Dis in an incident related to a petrol bomb.

EU calls on Israel, Jordan to deescalate situation

The EU has also urged Israel and Jordan to cooperate to "ensure security for all" in Jerusalem's Old City following the recent increase in clashes.

"We encourage Israel and Jordan to work together to find solutions that ensure security for all," said a statement released by the EU.

The recent incidents occurred after at least four Palestinian people lost their lives during clashes in the occupied Palestinian lands on Friday.

Tensions began to soar after the Tel Aviv regime’s imposition of restrictive measures on the entry of worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds.

The new restrictive measures have seen the regime in Israel install metal detectors at entry points to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the suspension of all official contact with Israel until it removed the metal detectors.

More than 300 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the ongoing tensions since the beginning of October 2015.

The Tel Aviv regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of Jerusalem al-Quds over the past decades by constructing settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population.

Palestinians say the Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for the Judaization of the city.

The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a flashpoint Islamic site, which is also holy to Jews. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

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