Hamas urges Arab-Islamic summit in Saudi Arabia to assume responsibility for occupied Jerusalem

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Saturday called the next week’s joint Arab-Islamic follow-up summit to take responsibility for the occupied city of Jerusalem, which is undergoing a “systematic Israeli judaization campaign.”

"It is time for the Islamic nations to fulfill their religious and political duties towards the holy city, which is facing an extensive judaization campaign by the Israeli occupying government,” Hamas political bureau member Haroun Nasser al-Din said in a statement.

On Oct. 30, Saudi Arabia called for a joint Arab-Islamic follow-up summit in its capital Riyadh on Nov. 11 to address the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinian territories and Lebanon, as well as the current developments in the region.

The official emphasized that Islamic countries “possess the necessary resources to exert pressure on global powers to curb Israel’s occupation and halt its crimes against the Palestinian people and Islamic sanctities.”

He also stressed the importance of “implementing the resolutions from previous Islamic summits,” which rejected any changes to the status of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Underlining the escalating attacks by illegal settlers on Al-Aqsa Mosque and demolitions in Jerusalem, particularly in the Silwan neighborhood, he said the Israeli occupation continues to assert full control over the holy city.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 43,500 Palestinians and rendering the enclave almost uninhabitable.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the blockaded enclave.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi