Kuwait condemns Al-Aqsa Mosque closure by Israel

This news has been read 6386 times!

GCC, Europol to boost security cooperation

KUWAIT CITY, July 15, (KUNA): Kuwait strongly condemned Israel’s closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque and thus banning of Palestinian worshippers from performing Friday prayers, for the first time in around half a century.

The Israeli measure “is a provocation of feelings of Muslims around the world, and a violation of religious freedom, and a continuation of Israel’s repeated and rejected attempts to change the status in Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque,” a foreign ministry source said in a statement.

The Israeli move, he added, violated the international laws. He urged the international community to exercise pressure upon Israel to reopen Al-Aqsa Mosque and abide by the international agreements, namely the Fourth Geneva Convention, and to stop the Israeli attempts to change the “legal and historic status of Al-Quds.” The Israeli army closed Al-Aqsa Mosque after three Palestinians and two Israeli policemen were killed.

Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and European Union Agency for Law Enforcement, known as Europol, signed in the Hague Friday a Letter of Intent to establish a mutual framework of cooperation between both sides. According to a press release by the GCC mission in Brussels, the Letter of Intent was signed by Dr Abdullatif Al-Zayani, GCC Secretary General and Rob Wainright, Executive Director of Europol, during an official visit of a GCC delegation to Europol at the Hague. The delegation included, among other officials, Ambassador Yousuf Al-Sada, Head of the GCC Mission to the EU in Brussels, and Mubarak Al-Kheyli, Director of GCCPOL, or GCC Police.

The agreement intends to identify areas of mutual cooperation, to facilitate assistance in the area of exchange of expertise and training, and to ensure cooperation and effective communication in the area of combating crime. Chairperson of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee MP Ali Al-Daqbasi considers the Israeli ban on Friday prayers in Al-Aqsa mosque the latest in the series of crimes perpetrated by the Israeli entity in the occupied territory under the silence of the Arab-Islamic nations preoccupied with disputes, reports Al- Jarida daily.

For his part, MP Waleed Al- Tabtabaei said “for the first time since the Israeli occupation, Palestinians are banned from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Friday prayer and it’s a sad day for them”.

This news has been read 6386 times!