Spain and France affirm necessity of respecting legal status of holy sites in Jerusalem

CAPITALS: Spain on Friday condemned the Israeli occupation's widespread aggression on the West Bank. The Spanish Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement that the military operations carried out by the Israeli army and the spread of violence in the West Bank are very dangerous, stressing the need to put a stop to this escalation. The ministry said the statements made by extremist ministers in the Israeli government, which question the legal status of holy sites in Jerusalem, are entirely rejected. Spain reiterated its call for respecting international legitimacy and humanitarian law and for de-escalation. In the meantime, France said that Israel's widespread aggression in the West Bank is exacerbating the unprecedented instability and violence, expressing its "deep concern" over the deterioration of the general situation in the Palestinian territory. In a Foreign Ministry statement, Paris reiterated its opposition to illegal colonial activities in the occupied West Bank which it stressed must be stoppe d immediately. Concerning Gaza, France stressed that the intensity of Israeli attacks targeting schools or shelters for the displaced leads to an unacceptable number of civilian casualties. "Respect for international humanitarian law is binding on all, including Israel", said the statement, stressing that attacks targeting humanitarian workers are "unacceptable". As for Jerusalem, Paris warned that the systematic questioning of the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque creates the risk of a generalized conflict. "France also condemns the irresponsible statements of the far-right extremist Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who openly and continuously calls for actions that contradict the status quo,' the statement added. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA