The UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has called on Israel to respect the status quo at the Aqsa Mosque in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
This came in a news conference held on Friday by spokesman for the secretary general Stephane Dujarric to comment on the provocative settler break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque during the last two days.
Dujarric stressed the need for Israel to uphold and respect the status quo of the holy sites that belong to all religions.
He said that the UN position on the issue of the Aqsa Mosque and the other holy sites in Jerusalem did not change.
The Jordanian ministry of foreign affairs also asked Israel to abide by its obligations under international law as the occupying power in east Jerusalem and respect the Aqsa Mosque’s sanctity.
“Israel’s actions against the Mosque are unacceptable and reprehensible and constitute a violation of the historical and legal status quo the international law and Israel’s obligations as an occupying power in east Jerusalem” spokesman for the ministry Haitham Abul-Ful said in a press release on Friday.
Large numbers of extremist Jewish settlers on Wednesday and Thursday provocatively desecrated the Aqsa Mosque to mark a religious occasion.
