Geneva Center condemns the Israeli occupation attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque

The Israeli occupation forces intensified their violations of international law against the Palestinians, the latest of which was the brutal attacks on worshipers in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims, using excessive force that resulted in the injury of dozens and the arrest of hundreds while they were inside the Temple Mount for worship.

The Geneva Center for Democracy and Human Rights indicates that the activity of the current Israeli government, which is considered the most extremist in the history of Israel, represents an extension of the activity of successive Israeli governments, especially during the last decade, which aimed to change the status quo in the city of Jerusalem, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque, in violation of international law and relevant resolutions, including the resolution UN Security Council No. 2334/2016, which affirmed in its entirety the invalidity of all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken and are being taken by the occupation authorities in order to change the status of Jerusalem.

We, the members of the Geneva Center for Democracy, express our alarm at the weak international positions towards the escalation led by the current Israeli government, which has expanded its gross violations of international law against the Palestinians by intensifying settlement operations as well as extrajudicial killings and harassment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. And incitement to exterminate and burn Palestinian villages, as the current Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, did, and finally try to change the status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque through force and impose a fait accompli policy.

We also express our deep fears about the possible repercussions of the weak international position, especially the position of the governments of the European Union, regarding the systematic and brutal Israeli escalation against the Palestinians, which seeks to repeat a new tragedy for the Palestinians similar to the Nakba of 1948 and the Naksa of 1967. We also express our concerns about the possible repercussions of the continuation of violations. We hold the Israeli government alone fully and directly responsible for any security escalation in the region as a result of the continuation of its aggressive policies against the Palestinians.

In view of the continued Israeli violations against the Palestinians, including the armed Israeli police storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the torture and severe beatings of unarmed worshipers, women, men and the elderly, especially during the performance of prayers, and the attack on the freedom of worship of the worshipers in Al-Aqsa Mosque, we:

1. We affirm that, according to the resolutions of international legitimacy, the Al-Aqsa Mosque is for Muslims alone, and violating its sanctity represents an aggression against the sanctities of Muslims and challenges their feelings.
2. We renew our condemnation in the strongest terms of the continued brutal aggression against the Palestinians, especially in the city of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is an extension of the policy of changing the status quo in the Holy City in violation of international law.
3. We express our full solidarity with the people of Jerusalem who are being targeted by the aggression of the occupying forces and the armed extremist Israeli settlers.
4. We reaffirm the duties entrusted to the governments of the European Union as high parties to the Geneva Conventions, using all available diplomatic and economic measures to pressure Israel to stop its aggression against Jerusalem and to comply with international law.
5. We stress the need for the international community to intensify its efforts to achieve justice and accountability for Israeli violations of international law in Jerusalem, including through the International Criminal Court.
6. We urge our partners in European and international civil society to launch pressure moves towards greater solidarity with the Palestinian people and to impose punitive measures on the Israeli occupation authorities, including boycotts, sanctions and disinvestment
7. We urge the European media and social media influencers, public figures, writers, serfs and defenders of human rights and human values, to do their duty in supporting the Palestinian people and championing rights and justice in Palestine.