Top Arab, Muslim diplomats launch plan to protect Jerusalem religious sites

Arab and Muslim diplomats agree to permanent mechanism to document Jerusalem violations

Foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries meeting in Amman, Jordan, have agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to document and expose Israeli violations in occupied East Jerusalem and at its Islamic and Christian holy sites, according to a joint declaration issued after the meeting.

The mechanism will include a media platform designed to broadcast Israeli violations against holy sites and worshippers and bring them to the attention of international organisations and the global public, as reported by Al Jazeera and the Russian state news agency TASS.

The meeting, held at Jordan's initiative, brought together foreign ministers from 10 Arab countries — Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Palestine, Egypt, and Morocco — as well as the secretary-general of the League of Arab States and representatives from Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Malaysia, according to TASS.

The participants rejected "any unilateral decisions violating the legal status of occupied Jerusalem, including the opening or relocation of diplomatic missions to the city," which they said contradicts international law and relevant UN resolutions, and called on the countries concerned to reverse such decisions, as stated in the joint declaration reported by TASS.

Coverage comparison

Al Jazeera's account emphasised the warning that Israeli violations could spark a religious conflict and jeopardise regional and global peace and security. Its report highlighted the joint declaration's condemnation of Israeli policies aimed at altering Jerusalem's Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity as well as its legal and demographic status, calling such policies illegal.

The outlet quoted the declaration as saying: "Jerusalem is in escalating danger, and its Islamic and Christian sanctuaries are threatened as never before," adding that "Israel is entrenching its illegitimate occupation of East Jerusalem. It is building settlements, annexing lands, confiscating properties, squeezing the Jerusalemites, and severing Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied Palestinian land."

TASS, for its part, focused on the institutional nature of the new mechanism, reporting that participants agreed to "create a sustainable institutional mechanism, including a media platform, to document and expose Israeli violations against holy sites and worshippers, as well as to explain their consequences."

Both outlets reported that the participants also agreed to launch a joint initiative to mobilise international action to end what they described as Israel's illegal actions and to compel it to respect the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites.

Key claims

• Arab countries agreed to establish a permanent mechanism, including a media platform, to document and expose Israeli violations against Islamic holy sites and worshippers, as reported by Al Jazeera and TASS.
• The participants rejected unilateral decisions violating the legal status of occupied Jerusalem, including the opening or relocation of diplomatic missions to the city, according to the joint declaration reported by TASS.
• The meeting was held in Amman at Jordan's initiative, as reported by TASS and Al Jazeera.
• Foreign ministers from 10 Arab countries and representatives from four other countries attended the meeting, according to TASS.
• Israeli policies aim to alter Jerusalem's Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity, as stated in the joint declaration reported by Al Jazeera.
• Ministers denounced Israeli actions at religious sites, including attempts to alter their historical and legal status quo, as reported by Al Jazeera.
• Christian holy sites in Jerusalem are also being targeted by Israeli violations, including restrictions on access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and interference in church affairs, according to Al Jazeera.
• The mechanism aims to bring global attention to increased incursions by Israeli settlers and officials, restrictions on worshippers, and continued excavations beneath and around the site, as reported by Al Jazeera.