Tunis (Tunisia), April 22: Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi on Thursday called for intensified Arab efforts to take the Palestinian cause to the forefront of the international public opinion.
Jerandi made the remarks at an emergency meeting of the Arab ministerial committee in charge of international action against illegal Israeli policies and measures in Jerusalem held in Jordan's capital Amman, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The committee, chaired by Jordan, also includes Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates. The secretary-general of the Arab League is also a member of the committee.
"The condemnable policies of the (Israeli) occupation forces aim to divert attention from the just Palestinian cause and turn it into a religious conflict," said Jerandi at the meeting.
He underlined the responsibility of Arab states to convey a unified voice against such provocative policies that would have terrible consequences for peace in the Arab region and the world.
"The violations committed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque only breeds more violence, hostility and hatred among religions," the Tunisian minister added.
The tension between Israel and the Palestinians has flared up in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past few weeks when the Jewish festival of Passover overlapped with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
On April 15, clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli security forces at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, leaving more than 160 people wounded.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a site holy to both Muslims and Jews who call it the Temple Mount.
Source: Xinhua
