Egypt's foreign ministry held on Sunday a meeting with Israeli Ambassador to Cairo Amira Oron, where Egyptian officials asserted the country's complete rejection and denouncement for the storming of Israeli authorities to the Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem. Nazih El-Naggary, the minister's assistant, and Hossam Ali, the head of the Israel Department in the foreign ministry, held a meeting with the Israeli ambassador where they stressed on the necessity to respect Islamic holy places, provide protection to Palestinian civilians, and to protect their rights in practicing their religion. The Egyptian officials reiterated in the meeting all the points mentioned in the Egyptian statement issued on Friday condemning the Israeli escalations in East Jerusalem. In that statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry rejected any illegal activities that seek to undermine the legal and unwavering rights of the Palestinian people, particularly the construction and expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories, as well as the confiscation of lands and displacement of Palestinians. The ministry denounced the ongoing Israeli endeavour to evict Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah district, saying it "represents a violation of the international legitimacy resolutions and international humanitarian law, and a continuation of the policy of forced displacement of Palestinians." Oron was also required to deliver a message to Israeli officials to provide protection to worshipers and to allow them to pray safely and freely, and to hold Israeli authorities responsible for the security situation in Jerusalem. Egypt condemned Israeli authorities' storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday and assaulting Palestinian worshippers there, with more than 200 Palestinians injured in the clashes with Israeli police in East Jerusalem. Tensions and violence escalated in East Jerusalem, captured and occupied by Israel in a 1967 war, amid Israeli plans to evict Palestinian families from lands claimed by Jewish settlers. Israeli police fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades at Palestinians at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, where most of the injuries took place, on Friday after the evening prayers. Thousands of Palestinian worshippers gathered for prayers at the mosque and many of them remained after that to protest the potential eviction of Palestinian families at East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah district. The League of Arab States announced that it was going to hold an extraordinary meeting at the level of Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday to probe recent crimes and aggressions of Israeli forces against Palestinians.
