UAE to host emergency regional meeting to discuss situation in Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque

Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting will feature speeches by representatives of Arab parliaments

By beocming a member of the committee, the UAE vows to foster and promote cultural diversity. Victor Besa / The National 

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The UAE will host an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss developments in Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The online Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting will feature speeches by speakers and representatives of Arab parliaments, as well as a closing statement.

This week, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, expressed concern over the acts of violence in occupied East Jerusalem, which resulted in the injury of civilians.

Sheikh Mohamed made the comments in a meeting with Bisher Al Khasawneh, Prime Minister of Jordan, in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

He reiterated his condemnation of all forms of violence and hatred, and said it was important to end acts of aggression that exacerbate tension in Jerusalem and desecrate the sanctity of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

On Tuesday, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa, condemned the violence against Palestinians.

"The UAE stands with the Palestinian rights, with the end of the Israeli occupation, with the two-state solution and with an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Dr Gargash wrote on Twitter.

Tensions escalate amid increasing violence in Israel and Gaza - in pictures