Beyza Binnur Donmez
07 April 2023•Update: 07 April 2023
GENEVA
A UN expert on Thursday condemned the "violent incursions" by Israeli forces into the Haram Al-Sharif compound and the attacks on Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"As Palestinian Muslims gathered for Ramadan prayers exercising their right to worship in Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israeli authorities used blatantly excessive and unjustified force against them," said Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Noting that 31 Palestinians were reportedly injured inside and immediately outside the compound, Albanese said that paramedics were allegedly prevented from providing medical treatment to the wounded.
Initial reports state that Israeli forces violently entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque, shot sponge-tipped bullets, deployed tear gas and stun grenades, and indiscriminately beat Muslim worshipers, including women and the elderly, with batons and rifle butts, she said and added that at least 450 Palestinian men were reportedly detained.
Underlining it is a violation of the Status Quo Agreement, she said: "The well-known desire of Israeli settlers to either destroy the mosque or forcibly convert all or part of the compound into a synagogue, as happened to the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, is a source of deep anxiety among Palestinians."
The special rapporteur noted that similar violence also took place during Ramadan in 2021 and 2022.
"These actions have led to a spiralling situation of rocket fire into Israel and missiles launched into Gaza, endangering civilians on both sides of the Green Line," Albanese said. "I am alarmed by the escalation of violence, particularly because of the further devastation it will bring to Palestinians in Gaza, who have been trapped by an inescapable siege since 2007."
She called on the international community to step up efforts to hold the occupying power accountable for its "unacceptable" behaviour in the occupied territory before the situation spirals further out of control.
"Over the years, Israel has not ceased its violent attacks against Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in violation of international law," she said.
