Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi condemned in the strongest terms the crime committed by settlers who burned a mosque in Kur Village in Tulkarm Governorate and scrawled racist slogans on its walls, in a treacherous attack targeting places of worship and Islamic holy sites, constituting a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, as well as a provocation to the feelings of Muslims worldwide. "This heinous crime comes within the context of an ongoing series of violations and attacks targeting the Palestinian people and their holy sites," he underscored, holding the Israeli occupation forces fully responsible for this crime and the accompanying repeated attacks resulting from the continuation of policies protecting and turning a blind eye to settler assaults, which encourages impunity and a lack of accountability, leading to a dangerous escalation that threatens security and stability in the region, SPA reported. The GCC secretary-general stressed that targeting and attacking places of worship represent a blatant violation of the sanctity of holy places and a dangerous transgression of all human values and international conventions that guarantee the protection of religious sites and safeguard the freedom of worship. Albudaiwi called on the international community, the Security Council, as well as human rights and humanitarian organizations to assume their legal and moral responsibilities and act urgently to halt these grave violations, hold the perpetrators accountable, and provide international protection for the Palestinian people and their holy sites. "Continued international silence regarding these crimes encourages their repetition and undermines opportunities for achieving security and peace in the region," he stressed. Albudaiwi reiterated the GCC's firm stance supporting the Palestinian people and the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.
