Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, July 22, 2017
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli authorities’ escalation of the measures taken against al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem. Those measures included closing the Mosque; banning prayers; and establishing metal detector gates at its Gates. PCHR also condemns the Israeli authorities’ use of excessive forces against civilians performing prayers at the Noble Sanctuary’s gates and those participating in protests throughout the Palestinian cities against the Israeli measures. Those protests resulted in the killing of 4 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, and injury of dozens; most of their condition was described as serious.
PCHR emphasizes that these measures are part of Israeli policies applied to create a Jewish majority in the City and part of the Israeli collective punishment policy, which is prohibited according to the International human rights law. PCHR calls upon the international community, particularly the Permanent Member States of the UN Security Council and High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, to fulfill their moral and legal obligations according to the UN Charter and the mentioned Convention and to take all deterrent measures against the Israeli government’s serious violations in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt.) PCHR also calls upon the International community to oblige Israel to stop its measures taken to create a Jewish majority in East Jerusalem, which is an integral part of the oPt…