Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned the attack on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, third holiest in Islam, in Jerusalem by the Israeli forces who fired rubber bullets and stun grenades amid growing anger over the eviction of Palestinians from their homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers.
“We pray for speedy recovery of injured, reiterate our steadfast support to the Palestinian cause and urge the international community to take prompt action to protect the Palestinian people,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.
Calls for calm and restraint poured in from the United Nations and the United States, with others including the European Union and Jordan voicing alarm at the possible evictions. Tens of thousands of Palestinians packed into the hilltop compound surrounding the mosque earlier on Friday for prayers.
Many stayed on to protest against the evictions in the city at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But following the evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, clashes broke out at Al-Aqsa with smaller scuffles near Sheikh Jarrah, which sits near the walled old city’s famous Damascus Gate.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he held Israel responsible for the dangerous developments and sinful attacks taking place in the holy city and called on the UN Security Council to hold an urgent session on the issue.
In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that such attacks, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, were against all humanitarian norms and human rights laws. He underscored the need for a two state solution in accordance with the relevant UN and OIC resolutions with the pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian state.