Indonesia, Saudi Arabia to Turkey Condemn Israeli Settlers' Destruction of West Bank Mosque

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Arab countries or the majority of Islam which is called the Group-8 or the New York Group, condemned the actions of Israeli settlers who carried out an attack on a mosque in the West Bank, Palestine.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the continued and escalating violence by settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including the latest attacks on the Great Mosque in the village of Jiljilya and the Al-Farouq Mosque in the village of Mazar'a al-Nubani, north of Ramallah.

The foreign ministers emphasized, "these attacks are a clear violation of the sanctity of places of worship and religious sites, international law including international humanitarian law, as well as relevant United Nations resolutions".

Furthermore, the foreign ministers reiterated the absolute rejection of these regrettable attacks by Israeli settlers, as well as Israel's illegal and ongoing measures in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, which fuel instability, violence, and extremism and undermine international efforts to achieve peace.

Israel as an occupying power is responsible for the attacks, according to the foreign ministers.

In this regard, the foreign ministers reiterated "the call on the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities and to compel Israel to stop the dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank, end its illegal practices, stop settler violence, hold perpetrators of these crimes accountable, and ensure that they do not enjoy impunity."

In this joint statement, the foreign ministers also reaffirmed "their unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their steadfast support for the realization of their legitimate and inalienable national rights, foremost among which is their right to self-determination and the realization of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State based on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

The foreign ministers also "reaffirmed support for all efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative."

As previously reported, Israeli settlers again vandalized two mosques in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Wednesday (17/6), Israeli settlers burned two mosques in Jaljulia and Mazra'a al-Nubani villages, north of Ramallah, West Bank Wednesday morning, and wrote racist and provocative slogans on the walls of one of the mosques.

Security sources reported that a group of settlers infiltrated Jaljulia and set fire to the Great Mosque, causing a fire and material damage, while racist and provocative slogans were sprayed on its walls.

The source added that local residents confronted the settlers as they tried to burn the mosque, while Israeli forces then stormed the town and fired tear gas and stun grenades, with reports of injuries.

Meanwhile, Anadolu reported that Israeli settlers burned a women's prayer hall in a mosque in the village of Jiljilya, central West Bank, occupied Palestine on Wednesday morning, scrawling its walls with Hebrew slogans using spray paint.

Local sources told Anadolu that a group of Israeli settlers raided the village at dawn and set fire to the mosque.

"The fire destroyed the entire area of the women's prayer and also damaged the outside of the mosque," the source said.