ALGIERS, April 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — Algeria strongly condemned Israeli forces’ operations at the Al-Aqsa mosque, calling for a comprehensive and just solution to the issue.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement the operations are “flagrant violations of all relevant international resolutions and conventions.”
The ministry stressed that Muslims should be allowed to worship at the Al-Aqsa mosque and granted full protection.
It called on the international community, in particular the UN Security Council, to put an end to these operations and provide protection for the Palestinian people.
The Al-Aqsa mosque compound is a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, the latter of whom call it the Temple Mount.
At least 152 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced grave concern over the deteriorating security situation in Jerusalem and called for efforts to de-escalate the tension, said his spokesman.
The secretary-general called on leaders on all sides to help calm the situation. Provocations on the holy site, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, must stop to prevent further escalation, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.
Guterres reiterated his call for the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem to be upheld and respected, said the statement.
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is in close contact with key regional partners and the parties to calm the situation. Guterres reiterated his commitment to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements, said the statement.
The tension between Israel and the Palestinians has flared up in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past three weeks as the Jewish festival of Passover overlaps with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
