Al-Sharq, Al-Raya Condemn Israeli Escalation in Occupied Jerusalem

Doha, April 28 (QNA) - Al-Sharq and Al-Raya newspapers condemned in their editorials on Wednesday the recent Israeli escalation in occupied Jerusalem, especially in the Damascus Gate area, adding that this escalation is an extension of the criminal and provocative practices by the Israeli occupation, and it falls under the racist Israeli occupation practices against Palestinians in general and Jerusalemites in particular. The two newspapers warned of these practices that come in light of international silence, which may ignite a religious war, as they constitute an extreme provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world, especially in these days of the blessed month of Ramadan. For its part, Al-Sharq newspaper said that the crimes of occupation against the Palestinian people do not stop, in light of international silence that tempted the occupation government to escalate its systematic attacks in all occupied Palestinian territories, the latest of which is what is happening in the occupied city of Jerusalem, which includes displacement, ethnic cleansing, and acceleration of Judaization and settlement activity, in addition to settlers' crimes against the people of Jerusalem and the blessed sites. The newspaper stated in its editorial that the recent attacks by the occupation forces and settlers on Jerusalemites in the Damascus Gate area threaten to ignite a religious war, as it constitutes a grave provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world, especially the use of violence against defenseless civilians, and the setting up of barriers to impede their access to Al-Aqsa Mosque. In this regard, Al-Sharq drew attention to what the State of Qatar has affirmed in terms of rejecting and condemning these attacks in the strongest terms, based on its firm position on the just nature of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to exercise their religious rights and the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital. The paper pointed out that these attacks coincided with the issuance of a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) entitled "A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution," in which it documented the systematic crimes of the occupation that confirm Israel's perpetration of the crimes of apartheid and persecution, which is a strong international testimony reflecting the suffering of the Palestinian people under the Israeli military occupation and its colonial and repressive policies. Al-Sharq concluded its editorial by saying that this human rights report that strengthens and supports the cases brought from Palestine before the International Criminal Court (ICC) confronts the world with its responsibilities to act urgently to stop the attacks and crimes committed against Palestinians and to ensure that the Palestinian people are provided with international protection. Al-Raya newspaper said in its editorial on Wednesday that the recent Israeli escalation in occupied Jerusalem, especially in Bab al-Amud area, is an extension of the criminal and provocative practices by the occupation in an area with important religious status to Muslims. The newspaper said that Qatar strongly condemned the aggression of Israeli police and settlers against Jerusalemites at the Damascus Gate. The Israeli police and settlers' attacks on Jerusalemites in Bab al-Amud area are a provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world and an extension of the Israeli occupation's provocations against the Palestinian people, especially in these blessed days of the holy month of Ramadan, the newspaper noted. Qatar's support to the just Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people has remained constant and unchanged, the newspaper said, adding that Qatar calls on the international community to move urgently to end these acts of aggression, and calls on international courts to document and highlight the grave human rights violations and crimes committed against the brotherly Palestinian people. The newspaper concluded by saying that the State of Qatar always affirms that a just and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict must be carried out in accordance with international law and implement international legitimacy decisions and the Arab Peace Initiative. (QNA)