OIC calls for intl. action over Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa
Sat, 06 Mar 2010

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) urges an all-out international effort aimed at ending the Israeli aggression after an Israeli raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

On Saturday, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu called for "an international intervention effective at every level to end Israeli aggressions and make Israel respect international law," AFP reported.

The Israeli forces on Friday raided the compound of the holy site in the occupied East Jerusalem (Al-Quds) to push out Palestinian worshippers who had gathered for the weekly Friday prayers.

The move triggered protests that quickly turned violent after Israeli police fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets at demonstrators, leaving 60 Palestinians injured.

Ihsanoglu also condemned the attack as "a sacrilegious act of profanation of the holy Islamic site" and called it "a violation of international law and a flagrant attack on the freedom of religion of the nature that could take the region into a war between religions."

The mosque is revered as the third holiest site in Islam by the OIC whose raison d'être is to "liberate Al-Aqsa from the Zionist occupation."

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Israeli actions against int’l law
07 Mar 2010

Baku – APA. The head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on Saturday slammed Israel’s actions on the Temple Mount Friday, APA reports citing Jewish media.

OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu decried what he called Israel’s “abuse” of worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque. He said Israel’s actions were in violation of international law and could lead to a religious war. Ihsanoglu called on the international community to stop the “Israeli attacks” on religious sites.

Approximately 20 policemen and dozens of Palestinians were wounded in the riots, the latest in a flare of violent incidents over Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s announcement incorporating the Cave of the Patriarch’s in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem onto Israel’s list of national heritage sites.

The United Nations Security Council also expressed concern over the riots.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement released Friday evening that Israel had crossed every red line and made prospects for peace even dimmer in clashing with Muslim worshipers.

Abbas said Israeli security forces, which he termed the “occupation army,” were “provoking” members of other faiths in a way that could “set off a religious war in the region.” He warned that “Israeli escapades” in east Jerusalem would have repercussions not just in the city and the Middle East, but also in Muslim world.

The PA president urged the US and the international community to intervene and stop tensions from escalating further.The PA president urged the US and the international community to intervene and stop tensions from escalating further.