14 Arab, Palestinian groups issue urgent appeal to protect Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque amid Israeli escalation

Appeal warns of unprecedented Israeli measures targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalemites and the city's Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, urges coordinated international action to preserve historic status quo

Fourteen Arab and Palestinian institutions and organizations issued an urgent appeal Wednesday calling for collective action to protect occupied Jerusalem amid what they described as escalating Israeli violations targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque and the city's historic identity. The appeal warned of an unprecedented Israeli escalation targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalemites, and the city's Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, saying the measures seek to create new realities on the ground and consolidate control by force. Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times. Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community. The appeal said Jerusalem is facing one of the most critical periods in its modern history, citing increased incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremist Israeli occupiers under the protection of Israeli forces, along with efforts to impose a temporal and spatial division of the mosque. It also cited attacks on worshippers, exclusion orders against religious and national figures, the targeting of Al-Aqsa guards, and restrictions on freedom of worship, saying such measures aim to alter the historic and legal status quo at the holy site. The appeal said Israeli policies in Jerusalem also include home and property demolitions, forced displacement, residency revocations, settlement expansion, excavation work around Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City, and attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites. It warned that these policies also threaten Jerusalem's longstanding Christian presence through restrictions on Christian institutions and religious figures, as well as attempts to alter the city's historic and pluralistic character. "Statements and condemnations alone are no longer sufficient," the appeal said, calling for coordinated, sustained and meaningful action before developments in Jerusalem become irreversible. The signatories called for urgent international political, legal and human rights initiatives to halt violations targeting Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalemites, ensure accountability, and prevent illegal actions from becoming normalized. The appeal also urged Jordan, as the custodian of Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites, to use its diplomatic standing to mobilize an effective international response that protects the holy sites and prevents the imposition of new realities in the city. "Jerusalem is not a temporary political issue, but a shared historic, cultural, religious and humanitarian responsibility," the appeal said, adding that the city needs concrete steps to protect its people, heritage and holy sites. The appeal was issued by several institutions, including the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, Al-Quds International Institution, Arab National Congress, European Palestinian Conference and Islamic National Conference. Israeli forces conduct near-daily military raids across the occupied West Bank, frequently carrying out arrests and attacks against Palestinians and their property. The escalation comes amid intensified Israeli military and occupiers attacks across the occupied West Bank since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. According to Palestinian figures, at least 1,182 Palestinians have been killed, around 13,000 injured and nearly 24,000 arrested in the occupied West Bank during the period. The pace of Israeli raids and occupier violence has further intensified since Friday's incident in the town of Tell, near Nablus, where four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed during clashes involving Israeli occupiers and the Israeli army, according to Palestinian sources.