World support needed over Israeli actions in al-Aqsa Mosque: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Ihab Bseiso, the Palestinian government’s spokesman in Ramallah, to discuss the recent clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters in and around the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Ihab Bseiso... joins us now to tell us more about this continued policy of violating the sanctity of the Islamic holy site in al-Aqsa by the Israeli regime.

Bseiso: Yes. First of all, we at the Palestinian government, we condemn the acts against our people and against the prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque by the settlers and by the Israeli forces; and we call for an immediate stopping for all these forms of aggression against the Palestinians. This is against all international accords and agreements, which are insisting that people are entitled to have a free access to the holy sites.

What has been happening is not the first time, it is carried on with a green light by the Israeli occupation government and this has to also be met with response from the international community. It seems very clear for the international community as for any observer that the Netanyahu government... they are determined to deteriorate the situation not only in Jerusalem but actually the whole political process, which undermines all the international efforts and the Palestinian efforts towards achieving stability based on the Palestinian rights in establishing their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

So, we call upon the international community through all its international agencies to take serious measures to pressure the Israeli government to stop these forms of aggression and attacks against our people as well as we call upon the Arab countries for an emergency meeting for the Arab League and we certainly are looking for also support from within the Arabic sphere and the Islamic sphere through political and diplomatic forms.

What is happening in Jerusalem is very dramatic and it requires all efforts to stop what is happening to our people in there.

Press TV: You mentioned the international community, sir. How do you assess their performance with regards to the violations that take place in al-Aqsa? The European Union has called or has warned rather against any provocation against the mosque. However, these words of condemnations have turned out to be a mere platitude.

Bseiso: First of all, we value any immediate response that is coming from the international community condemning these aggression acts by the Israeli settlers but we are certainly sure that this is not enough and it has to be met with serious measures either by the European Union or the international community.

What is happening there against our people in Jerusalem is absolutely severe and dramatic. The Israeli occupation government is continuing all its policies towards making the life of the Palestinians in Jerusalem absolutely impossible and with the series of regulations, including also the approval of building hundreds but actually thousands of settlement units in Jerusalem, which is a clear violation of international law, as well as... as you could see from the imagery coming from all over the international TVs that how they are even treating the Palestinians, trying to invade the mosque, try to arrest the people, and in fact they did arrest few people as well as injuring others.

From our side, we are determined to protect our national goal by protecting our people in Jerusalem through the political and diplomatic forms. We have already appealed to the international community. Yesterday, our ambassador to the United Nations, he sent a letter to the general secretary of the United Nations. Yesterday, we contacted also, the government contacted the European Union and the UNRWA; all international agencies that are involved in the lives of the Palestinians have been contacted and we are continuing also all our contacts with the Arab countries and the Islamic countries.

What is happening there in Jerusalem requires collective measures by all the Arab and the Muslim countries to face these forms of aggression. These forms of aggression which you are seeing for the fourth day in Jerusalem, this is only the facade of the real Israeli policies in Jerusalem.

Only last year, few settlers burned alive the 15-years-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir in Jerusalem. Few weeks ago, we had different incident in Nablus, burning a whole family alive. And these measures by the Israeli government should stop by ending the occupation and we are sure that ending the occupation requires an international support as well as an Arab and Muslim support for the Palestinian demands.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk