RABAT, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) slammed Israel's "stark violations" at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem as its emergency meeting closed on Thursday in Rabat.
In a final statement issued following the meeting on the situation in Jerusalem, the lawmakers considered Israeli security measures at the shrine an "aggression and provocation by the occupation authorities and a new episode in the series of repression and confiscation of the rights of the Palestinian people."
The measures as well as the killings and repression by Israel violate the most basic human rights, according to the statement.
The lawmakers also called upon the UNESCO to shoulder its full responsibility in the protection of the Palestinian World Heritage landmarks.
The Palestinian cause remains the central issue for Arab people, the statement stressed.
On Thursday, Israel removed all the metal detectors and cameras it installed two weeks ago at the entrances of the Al-Aqsa Mosque after strong protests inside and outside Jerusalem.
On July 14, three Arab-Israeli gunmen opened fire at two Israeli policemen and shot them dead, while police forces fired back and killed them. The attack took place at the yard of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
After the attack, Israel closed the mosque and later installed electronic gates and cameras at the entrances to the mosque. The action provoked protests from the Muslims who refused to enter the mosque through these gates.
Set up in 1974, the AIPU is an Arab organization composed of parliamentary groups representing Arab Parliaments.
AIPU aims at strengthening contacts and promoting dialogue among Arab parliaments, exchanging legislative experience, coordinating the activities of Arab parliaments on various international forums, and discussing the common Arab causes, on both the Pan Arab and the international levels, and the adoption of relevant resolutions and recommendations.
