Arab League discusses filing UN complaint on Al-Aqsa violations
Published 26 February 2014 21:38

CAIRO (Ma'an - Palestinian news agency) -- The Arab League permanent
representatives' emergency session discussed on Wednesday the possibility of
filing a complaint to the UN Security Council regarding recent Israeli
attacks on the Al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem.

The discussion comes amid a controversial Israeli Knesset discussion about
extending Israeli sovereignty over the compound, which is holy to both
Muslims and Jews but as part of the 1994 peace agreement with Jordan is
under Jordanian custodianship.

The Arab League council called upon the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
to spread awareness regarding the dangers threatening the compound in order
to gain support for the complaint.

The council also called upon the EU, major powers, and UNESCO to take
responsibility in Jerusalem and to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites
from Israeli threats.

The Arab League condemned the continuous Israeli violations of the Al-Aqsa
compound, and the recent escalation in incitement to violence and collective
raids by Jewish organizations.

Some extremist Jewish organizations have called in the past for the
destruction of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the construction of a Jewish temple
there.

The League added that there would be no peace without a Palestinian state
with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that recent Israeli actions are
intended to foil the peace process.

Because of the sensitive nature of the Al-Aqsa compound, Israel maintains a
compromise with the Islamic trust that controls it to not allow non-Muslim
prayers in the area. Israeli forces regularly escort Jewish visitors to the
site, leading to tension with Palestinian worshipers.

The compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the
Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque and is the third holiest site in Islam.

It is also venerated as Judaism's most holy place as it sits where Jews
believe the First and Second Temples once stood. The Second Temple was
destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

According to mainstream Jewish religious leaders, Jews are forbidden from
entering for fear they would profane the "Holy of Holies," or the inner
sanctum of the Second Temple.

Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally
recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli
military since 1967.