UN Security Council to meet following Israeli violence in occupied East Jerusalem

UN Security Council to meet following Israeli violence in occupied East Jerusalem
The UN Security Council will meet on Tuesday over Israel's continued violence around the Al-Aqsa compound
2 min read
Israeli forces have attacked Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa compound for days [Getty- archive]

The UN Security Council will meet on Tuesday over Israeli violence around Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem that has seen 170 people, mainly Palestinian worshippers, injured over the weekend, diplomatic sources told AFP.

The meeting, called by China, France, the United Arab Emirates, Norway and Ireland, will be held behind closed doors, and comes after days of Israeli violence in and around Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Israel's offensive - at a tense time when the Jewish Passover festival coincides with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan - also follows deadly violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank starting in late March, in which 36 people have been killed, mainly Palestinians. 

Jews are allowed to visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound but not to pray at the site, the third-holiest in Islam.

King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday called on Israel to "stop all illegal and provocative measures" that drive "further aggravation."

The kingdom serves as custodian of holy places in occupied East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognised by the international community.

Israeli forces have launched brutal raids in the occupied West Bank in recent days. Recent violence has seen 25 Palestinians killed while 14 Israelis have been left dead following attacks.