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Arab League postpones meeting on Jerusalem for a second time

July 24, 2017 at 1:09 pm

General view of Arab League foreign ministers in the Egyptian capital Cairo on 9 December 2017 [Stringer/Anadolu Agency]

The Arab League has postponed an emergency meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the recent events in Jerusalem. The meeting was called by Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and will now be held on Thursday. Safadi made the call after discussing the recent violence in Jerusalem with his French, Norwegian, German and Swedish counterparts.

Coordination with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the issue of Jerusalem is also apparently underway.

“It was agreed in the light of the contacts that took place throughout the day that the meeting will be held on Thursday, July 27, instead of Wednesday,” explained Mahmoud Afifi, the spokesman for the League’s Secretary-General. He said in a press statement that the postponement was “to ensure the participation of the largest number of Arab ministers in the emergency meeting on the situation in Jerusalem.”

This is the second time within the past 24 hours that the Arab League has postponed its meeting on Jerusalem to discuss Israel’s aggression in the occupied city and Al-Aqsa Mosque. The meeting was initially supposed to take place today, Monday, but was postponed until Wednesday before being put back yet again to Thursday.

Read: UN, OIC to host session over ‘Israeli assault’ on Al-Aqsa Mosque

The reason stated is that the postponements came at the request of some Arab states attempting to resolve the problems before the meeting, according to the Jerusalem Post.

There is a possibility that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will remove the iron gates and metal detectors from the entrances to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Their installation by the Israelis has escalated tension in recent days. It is also possible that all of the inspection procedures for worshippers at the gates of the mosque will be changed.

The Arab League warned Israel on Sunday of “playing with fire and igniting a major crisis with the Arab and Islamic worlds.” Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said,

The past few days have proven that security considerations do not represent the real motive behind recent Israeli actions in the Old City and the vicinity of Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and that everyone knows how deep and dangerous these plans have been for years to Judaise Jerusalem.

The senior official added that Jerusalem “is a red line that cannot be crossed, and Israel must stop its abuses against the Palestinians.” However, according to the Israeli Minister of Internal Security, Gilad Arad, Tel Aviv coordinated with certain Arab and Islamic States directly or through a third party to erect the electronic gates, Quds Press has reported.

In a series of tweets online, Safadi said Jordan is working to “protect [and] restore calm” to the holy site in Jerusalem and called for the metal detectors to be removed and the “historic status quo respected.” Jordan has legal custody over the Old City of Jerusalem and its religious sites.

#FreeQuds

The metal detectors were installed at the entrances to the mosque compound following a shooting incident two weeks ago in which two Israeli soldiers and their alleged Palestinian assailants were killed. The additional security is seen as yet another way for Israel to maintain its control over the holy site and further restrict Palestinians gaining access to the compound and the Old City.

Aboul Gheit denounced the Israeli government’s “adventurism” and said its moves could trigger a “crisis with the Arab and Muslim world.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned of an intervention by the international Muslim community over Israel’s control measures and violence last week during the so-called #DayofRage protests.

Read: 54 Palestinians injured during clashes at Al-Aqsa

At least four — some reports say seven — Palestinians were killed last week by Israeli occupation forces after protesting against the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Israel’s violent control of the compound. Hundreds more were injured and dozens were arrested.

Earlier this year the Arab League demanded a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following statements by US President Donald Trump that he was open to a one-state solution.