UAE condemns Israeli calls for Al-Aqsa Mosque demolition, assaults on Christians

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned on Sunday Israeli calls for the demolition of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and police assaults on Christians during the Holy Saturday celebrations.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry called for providing full protection of Islamic and Christian holy sites and halting the serious and provocative violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

It called for respecting Jordan's custodial role over the holy sites in Jerusalem in accordance with international law and historical status, and not compromising the authority of the Jerusalem Endowment Administration that manages the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The ministry also denounced violations against Christians in Jerusalem during Holy Saturday, including obstructing access to churches and acts of physical assault, warning that these arbitrary acts would have dangerous repercussions and risk exacerbating tensions and escalation in the region.

It urged the international community to intensify efforts to find a political horizon that achieves a comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish an independent sovereign state, in accordance with international law.

An AI-generated video titled "Next Year in Jerusalem" has been circulating on extremist Hebrew platforms, showing Al-Aqsa Mosque being bombed and replaced by a so-called Third Temple.

Since 2003, Israeli authorities have allowed illegal settlers into the compound nearly every day.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, believing it was the location of two ancient Jewish temples.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and unilaterally annexed the city in 1980, a move not recognized by the international community.