Arab League holds Israeli occupation responsible for safety of holy sites

CAIRO, Aug 22 (KUNA) -- The Arab League affirmed the special status of Jerusalem, holding the Israeli occupation authorities accountable for preserving the safety and sanctity of the sacred sites in the city.
Gangs of Jewish settlers persist in desecrating and intruding into Al-Aqsa Mosque and other shrines in Jerusalem, League's department of Palestine and other occupied Arab territories said in a statement on Friday on the 56th anniversary of the arson attack on the Mosque.
The despicable attack was carried out by Denis Michael Rohan - a Jewish terrorist of Australian descent, on August 21, 1969.
Decrying the repeated storming of the Mosque, the Muslim's third holiest site, the statement said, "The repugnant incursions into Mosque, led by extremist members of the Israeli government under protection of the occupation forces, fall in the framework of the policy of ethnic cleansing against the original residents of the holy city." "This criminal policy aims to erase the Arab and Islamic identity of the city in a flagrant violation of the UN resolutions," according to the statement.
On the anniversary of arson attack, it said, "This bitter occasion coincides with an all-out genocidal war against the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza Strip." The Israeli occupation forces destroy all aspects of life, not only in Gaza Strip but in the occupied West Bank as well, through the illegal Jewish settlement expansions and confiscation of Palestinian land, the statement pointed out.
Condemning the recently approved Israeli settlement plan E1, the statement said the scheme aims to bisect the occupied West Bank and carve out Jerusalem, thus undermining the prospects of Palestinian statehood.
The League reiterated the call for the international community to shoulder their responsibility, provide protection for the Palestinian people and the sacred sites, and force the Israeli occupation into halting the crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
The League applauded the valiant struggle of the Palestinian people against the colonial designs aiming to Judaize the holy city of Jerusalem and evict its original residents.
On behalf of all Arab countries, the League reaffirmed strong support to the Palestinian people until they attain freedom and independence through the establishment of the state of Palestine within the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. (end) asm.gb