Pakistan condemns Israeli ‘act of terror’ on Al-Aqsa mosque

Published November 5, 2014
Israeli border police officers walk in front of the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City November 5, 2014. – Reuters Photo
Israeli border police officers walk in front of the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City November 5, 2014. – Reuters Photo

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned Israeli attack on Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and termed it an “act of terror”.

“Israel has always flouted international law and has violated human rights of Palestinians,” Prime Minister Nawaz sharif said in a statement issued here.

He said that Pakistan is with Palestinians against the state repression of Israel and expects United Nations to take note of it.

In a sign of festering tensions, a Palestinian rammed his car into pedestrians in Jerusalem's city centre earlier in the day, killing an Israeli paramilitary border policeman before he was shot dead by police. More than a dozen people were injured.

The incident occurred after fierce clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at the entranceway to the 8th-century Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third most sacred place.

Palestinian officials said Israeli forces had crossed the threshold of the mosque for the first time since 1967. Israeli police denied going into the house of worship.


Kerry condemns Jerusalem car attack, says it 'only raises tensions'


Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the deadly car attack in Jerusalem saying it was a “terrorist act” that “only raises tensions” in the tinderbox region.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Jordan's foreign minister in Paris, Kerry told reporters: “That is not just a terrorist act and an atrocity, but it only makes matters worse. It only raises tensions.”

“We urge everybody to try to step back and find a way to create enough calm and enough space to be able to negotiate these difficult issues,” he added.

The Jordanian minister, Nasser Judeh, said: “The only way that we can prevent these unilateral measures from continuing to take place is to have a comprehensive settlement to the Arab-Israel conflict.”

Opinion

Editorial

IMF’s unease
Updated 24 May, 2024

IMF’s unease

It is clear that the next phase of economic stabilisation will be very tough for most of the population.
Belated recognition
24 May, 2024

Belated recognition

WITH Wednesday’s announcement by three European states that they intend to recognise Palestine as a state later...
App for GBV survivors
24 May, 2024

App for GBV survivors

GENDER-based violence is caught between two worlds: one sees it as a crime, the other as ‘convention’. The ...
Energy inflation
Updated 23 May, 2024

Energy inflation

The widening gap between the haves and have-nots is already tearing apart Pakistan’s social fabric.
Culture of violence
23 May, 2024

Culture of violence

WHILE political differences are part of the democratic process, there can be no justification for such disagreements...
Flooding threats
23 May, 2024

Flooding threats

WITH temperatures in GB and KP forecasted to be four to six degrees higher than normal this week, the threat of...