OIC final communiqué reaffirms historic Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem Islamic, Christian holy sites

Amman: The final communiqué issued by the extraordinary open-ended meeting of the Executive Committee at the level of foreign ministers held by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on Wednesday emphasized the need to respect the existing legal and historical status of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem). The communique also stressed the need to respect the role of the Department of Jerusalem Awaqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs of the Jordanian Awqaf Ministry as the only authorized body with exclusive jurisdiction to manage all affairs of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and regulate access to it, within the framework of the historical Hashemite custodianship over the holy sites. The communique condemned the continued war crimes, aggression and genocide committed by Israel, the illegal occupying power, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including the Holy City of Jerusalem, which has led, during more than 300 days, to the martyrdom and injury of mor e than 140,000 Palestinian citizens, most of them women and children, the destruction of vital facilities and infrastructure, and the displacement of more than 2 million Palestinians from their homes. The communique demanded an immediate end to the Israeli aggression and the policy of abuse, starvation, and collective punishment practiced against the Palestinian people, emphasizing its categorical rejection of any attempt to displace, expel or forcibly transfer the Palestinian people from their land. It warned against the continuation of Israel's crimes, which undermine security and stability in the region, and called for immediate and effective intervention by the UN Security Council within the framework of its responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security. Source: Jordan News Agency