09 Jan 2023; MEMO: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to discuss Israeli violations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu News Agency reports.
In a statement, the Jeddah-based organisation said the meeting comes "after the continuous Israeli escalation in the Occupied city of Al-Quds [Jerusalem] and the continuous violations against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque."
The pan-Muslim grouping said the meeting will discuss the situation after a storming by Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir to "Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards under the protection of the Israeli Occupation Forces."
Ben-Gvir's provocation, the statement said, came amid Israeli attempts "to change the legal and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque."
READ: Jewish settlers perform provocative dances at Al-Aqsa gates
The far-right Israeli Minister stormed the flashpoint site last week under Israeli police protection, triggering a storm of condemnations from countries across the world, including Jordan, Turkiye, the US Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Palestinians accuse Israel of systematically working to Judaise East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, and to obliterate its Arab and Islamic identity.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognised by the international community.
