Qatar vows to help protect Jerusalem's Christian, Muslim holy sites in Palestinian mufti meeting

Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Tuesday spoke of his country's commitment to help protect Muslim and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.

In a meeting with the Mufti of Jersualem and the Palestinian Territories, Sheikh Mohammed Ahmed Hussein, Al-Thani "stressed the priority that the State of Qatar attaches to supporting the protection of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and providing the necessary support to Palestinian citizens there", according to a statement from the Qatari foreign ministry.

The foreign minister added: "[we] reiterated the State of Qatar's firm position on the justice of the Palestinian cause, the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, and the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

Al-Aqsa Mosque compound saw frequent raids by settlers, backed by the Israeli security forces, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which Qatar frequently condemned.

Hundreds of Palestinians were injured and hundreds more arrested by Israeli forces, who used smoke bombs and rubber bullets against them.

Christian sites are also at risk of takeover by Jewish "radicals" who are settling in the Christian Quarter and threatening the fragile religious balance in the city, according to church officials.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed it, in violation of international law.

Israel continues to advance plans for and approve illegal settlements in the city.