AMMAN — The Arab Group at the
UN praised
Jordan’s continued efforts to protect the historical and legal status quo of
the city of Jerusalem under the Hashemite custodianship of His Majesty King
Abdullah, reported the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
اضافة اعلان
The Arab Group welcomed, in a statement, the
ceasefire that ended Israel’s military operation in the
Gaza Strip, as well as
Egypt and Qatar’s crucial role in brokering the accord.
Monday’s statement was delivered by the Jordanian
Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Mahmoud Al-Hmoud, who chairs the
Arab Group for the month of August. He spoke during an emergency meeting of the
Security Council devoted to the latest events in the Gaza Strip.
Hmoud said that the Israeli aggression against Gaza
reflects the absence of the basis of a two-state solution. He urged the
international community to provide protection to the Palestinian people and to
investigate violations against civilians, notably children.
“Comprehensive peace and security will be achieved
by a return to serious and effective negotiations to reach a two-state
solution, which embodies the independent and sovereign Palestinian state based
on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance
with the international legitimacy, the Security Council’s resolutions, and the
Arab Peace Initiative,” he asserted.
The envoy also called for a cessation of all Israeli
unilateral, provocative, and escalatory acts of aggression in
Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which is, with its total area of 144 dunums, a place
of worship for Muslims only. He insisted that the Jordan-run Jerusalem Awqaf
and Aqsa Affairs Department are the sole authority to supervise the mosque’s
affairs.
In a related development, The Chinese representative
at the UN Security Council, Ambassador Zhang Jun, called for respecting the
Jordanian Hashemite custodianship over
Islamic and Christian holy shrines in
Jerusalem, Al-Ghad News reported.
“Any attempt to change this situation or any
provocative act will lead to friction in the holy city,” the envoy said.
Chinese media reported ambassador Zhang saying that
briefings by colleagues in Palestine indicate that the current situation is
unfortunate and heart-wrenching, and China denounces indiscriminate attacks
against civilians and grave violations against children. He insisted that the
lives of civilians must be respected, with no exceptions.
“The current situation remains fragile and the
Security Council must pay great attention to prevent further escalation,” he
pointed out.
Zhang said the
ceasefire is the beginning, but a complete cessation of violence depends on its
implementation. He said diplomatic efforts should continue to respect the
ceasefire and practice restraint to restore calm as soon as possible.
He explained that military operations destroyed
buildings and houses in the Gaza Strip, and that such actions exacerbated the
suffering of the people. He said the situation in Gaza requires an increased
support for the recovery and construction of the coastal strip.
“We must not spare any effort to put an end to the
widespread humanitarian crisis,” he said. “The situation is linked to what was
happening in the West Bank and we are concerned about the crisis situation in
Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
In the past, the Security Council held several
emergency meetings on the Palestinian crisis, he said. But the problems persist
because the
Middle East peace process has deviated from its normal course, and
its basis of a two-state solution has been overlooked.
Zhang stressed that Palestinians have the right to
an independent state, which had been repeatedly violated. It has been proven over time that emergency
solutions cannot replace political solutions, he asserted.
He urged the international community to deal with
the root cause of the conflict, reinitiate the peace process as soon as possible,
and advance the two-state solution so that Palestinians can attain their
rights.
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