Jordan: Israel attempting to impose new fait accompli on al-Aqsa mosque
The five resolutions are part of an annual flurry of 20 pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli texts that the UNGA passes on an annual basis - more than any other country.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFSOCIAL DISTANCE doesn’t seem to be a thing among those attending Eid al-Adha prayers in the Old City’s al-Aqsa compound on July 31(photo credit: SLIMAN KHADER/FLASH90)
Israel must maintain the status quo at the Jerusalem’s al-Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, a Jordanian representative told the UN General Assembly in advance of the plenum’s vote on five pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel resolutions.Israel is attempting to “impose a fait accompli on al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem,” he said, adding that Jerusalem’s “holy sites will remain the focus of Jordanian care and guardianship.”Jordan will “combat a new fait accompli or change the historic or legal status of the holy city especially at the Aqsa Mosque,” the Jordanian representative said. He spoke in Arabic, and his words were translated by the United Nations into English.Jordan has a special custodial role on the Temple Mount but it has been nervous that Israel might give Saudi Arabia some form of a role at the site, by way of helping sway it to sign a normalization deal. It’s a move that would violate the status quo at this sensitive flashpoint area.Palestinian Authority Ambassador Riyad Mansour asked the international community to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law, by way of preserving the possibility of a two-state solution at the pre-1967 lines. He called for a boycott of Israeli settlement products and urged Western nations to unilaterally recognize Palestinian statehood.Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan chastised the plenum for not referencing Israel’s normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which were brokered by the US under the rubric of the Abraham Accords.He noted that the discussion spoke of the lack of horizons for peace, while ignoring the regional advancements on that score. The same was true of the text the UNGA was set to vote on, he said.“This year’s “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” resolution makes no reference to any of these agreements. Once again the UN is ignoring the significant and life changing events taking place in the region,” Erdan said.“What’s even worse is that still included in this year’s resolution is the claim that peace between Israel and other countries is contingent on peace with the Palestinians,” he added.“Can this forum be any more detached from the real world?” Erdan asked.“Instead of encouraging the Palestinians to see how these agreements can transform the region and be used as a catalyst for peace with Israel, this institution votes in favor of these biased resolutions. It ignores what is really happening and wastes a genuine opportunity to kick-start negotiations,” Erdan said.The UAE and Bahrain representatives spoke positively of their normalization deals with Israel, while at the same time affirming the importance of the Palestinian cause.Out of the five texts, one resolution on the Syrian Golan affirmed that Israel’s annexation of the territory in 1981, “constitutes a stumbling block in the way of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region.” The resolution also demands that Israel withdraw from the “occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967 in implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.” The text made no mention of the ongoing Syrian civil war, in which thousands had been killed.A second resolution on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, called on Israel to withdraw from all territory over the pre-1967 lines in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan.This resolution, A/75/L.34, took Israel to task for a wide range of actions against Palestinians including the demolition of homes in Area C of the West Bank.In specific it called for a halt to settlement activity, spoke of the illegality of any annexation plan and any attempts to alter the character of the West Bank, including east Jerusalem.The five resolutions are part of an annual flurry of 20 pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli texts that the UNGA passes on an annual basis. No other country has that many resolutions passed against it at the UNGA.
