Qatar Demands Immediate Cessation of Israel's Judaization of Jerusalem

Geneva, March 19 (QNA) -The State of Qatar on Monday urged Israel to immediately halt the Judaization of occupied Arab Jerusalem and the rest of the Palestinian territories, stressing solidarity with the Palestinian people in their aspirations to achieve all their legitimate rights. Qatar strongly denounced Israel's practices that contravene international legality and undermine efforts to achieve peace, expressing in this regard its support to all the initiatives aiming at realizing comprehensive and permanent peace based on the concept of a two-state solution. Qatar's position was spelled out in a speech delivered by HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar at the United Nations Office in Geneva Ambassador Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, before the ordinary meeting of the ninth session of the Human Rights Council, under agenda item No. 7, entitled (The Human Rights Situation in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories ). HE Ambassador Alia stressed in her speech that Israel continued its intransigent practices that violate international laws and resolutions which had repeatedly affirmed the legitimacy of the Palestinian peoples' rights , particularly the right to self-determination and to independence, their national sovereignty, and aspirations to peace and security, as per the Charter of the United Nations and other international resolutions on the right of peoples to self-determination. She cautioned that Israel's approach aims to impose a new reality with the objective of impeding the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and to upset the demographic balance in favor of the Israelis, in contempt of Arab and international demands and scuttling chances for peace and stability in the region. On the Israeli violations of the Holy Places, HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva explained in her speech that the Jewish state has been striving to Judaize Jerusalem and to obliterate its Arab and Islamic history, culture and heritage, by isolating the city from its surroundings in the Palestinian occupied territories and by the expulsion of the Palestinian people in favor of Israeli settlers. HE pointed out that all these measures are meant to devote all of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a step that is in a stark contrast with international laws, international humanitarian laws, several resolutions of the General Assembly of the United Nations concerning the rights of the Palestinian people, and the UN Security Council resolutions calling on Israel to withdraw its measures , and consider them void. She said in this regard "facing this Israeli intransigence and the silence of international community, the State of Qatar under the auspices of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the Arab League, took the initiative of hosting the International Conference for the Defense of Jerusalem. The Conference condemned the Israeli policy designed to erase the Islamic and Arabic features of Jerusalem and the ongoing excavations at the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque, and around the Old City, which seriously affect the distinctive character of the city at the religious, cultural, historical and demographic levels. HE noted that this conference called on all international bodies to shoulder their responsibilities for enforcing the international law on the protection of Jerusalem. (END)