Urgent Appeal for Jerusalem
A call for collective action to protect Jerusalem, its Holy Sites and its historical identity
Following statement was issued by 14 Arab and Palestinian institutions and bodies on July 29, 2026
We continue to follow with deep concern the unprecedented Israeli escalation unfolding in the occupied city of Jerusalem, directed squarely against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Palestinian population of Jerusalem and the Arab, Islamic and Christian identity of the city, as part of a systematic policy aimed at imposing new realities on the ground and entrenching the occupation through the use of force, in flagrant violation of international law and of the international instruments for the protection of human rights.
Jerusalem is today going through one of the most critical periods in its recent history. Incursions by extremist settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque are intensifying under the protection of the occupation forces; attempts to impose a temporal and spatial division of the sacred compound are increasing; assaults on worshippers are multiplying; expulsion orders are being issued against men and women devoted to defending the site, as well as against prominent religious and national figures; the guardians of the Al-Aqsa Mosque are being persecuted and the exercise of freedom of worship is being restricted, in a clear attempt to alter the existing historical and legal status quo of the sacred compound.
In parallel, the occupation’s policies aimed at emptying Jerusalem of its Palestinian population continue through the demolition of homes and facilities, forced displacement, the revocation of identity documents, the expansion of settlements and the intensification of excavations around the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City. Likewise, attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites and on religious and national symbols persist, with the aim of erasing the historical, cultural and civilizational identity of the Holy City.
The extremist organizations of the so-called “Temple” movement, backed by the government led by the criminal Benjamin Netanyahu and under the direct supervision of the Minister of National Security, the extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, continue to push for the imposition of absolute Israeli control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the establishment of severe restrictions on Muslims’ access, the stripping of the Islamic Waqf’s powers and the desecration of the compound through various Jewish ritual practices and repeated assaults. Should this situation persist, an end will be put to whatever still remains of the existing historical and legal status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and in Jerusalem.
The occupation’s policies also gravely affect the historical Christian presence in Jerusalem through restrictions targeting Christian religious institutions and authorities, as well as through attempts to alter the historical, plural and civilizational character of a city that, over the centuries, has stood as an example of religious diversity, coexistence and the shared heritage of humankind.
The gravity of this escalation, occurring while the international community remains absorbed by multiple crises, demands a responsible collective stance commensurate with the scale of the risks threatening Jerusalem. Declarations alone are no longer enough; verbal condemnations have proven insufficient to halt the continuation of the violations. The defence of Jerusalem requires moving from occasional reaction to organized, sustained and effective action.
The threat lies not only in the scale of the daily violations, but also in the attempt to turn exceptional measures into a permanent reality that would definitively alter the historical and legal character of the city and jeopardize regional stability. Accordingly, we call upon all institutions, unions, and Islamic, Arab, legal, humanitarian and human-rights organizations to assume their historical and moral responsibilities and to work urgently and in a coordinated manner through the following actions:
• To drive a permanent international mobilization in the political, legal and human-rights spheres aimed at ending the Israeli violations against Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the city’s Palestinian population, ensuring accountability for those responsible and preventing the occupation and its illegal measures from being accepted or normalized.
• To activate every legal mechanism available before international courts and bodies in order to seek accountability for the ongoing crimes and violations, including those relating to colonization, forced displacement and the deliberate alteration of Jerusalem’s demographic composition, while also ensuring legal protection for the affected population and institutions.
• To exert political and diplomatic pressure on governments and international bodies to compel the occupying Power to respect international law, including through the use of economic and legal pressure instruments against companies and entities involved in sustaining the settlements or benefiting from the policies directed against Jerusalem and its population.
• To defend the existing historical and legal status quo of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and of all Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, rejecting any attempt to alter it by force or to impose new arrangements serving the aims of the occupation.
• To urge the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in its capacity as custodian of the Islamic and Christian Holy Sites of Jerusalem under the Hashemite Custodianship, to make full use of its political and diplomatic weight and its international relations to mobilize broad international support that protects the holy sites, preserves the Hashemite Custodianship and the existing historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem, and prevents the entrenchment of faits accomplis that would alter the city’s identity and status.
• To promote an urgent and permanent programme of financial support and humanitarian assistance aimed at strengthening the resilience of Jerusalem’s Palestinian population in the face of the economic burdens and restrictive policies imposed by the occupation, with particular attention to families threatened with displacement and to owners of homes and businesses at risk of demolition or closure.
• To support and strengthen the Jerusalem institutions that provide social, educational and cultural services, providing the resources needed to preserve the Arab, Islamic and Christian presence in the city and to ensure that its inhabitants remain steadfast as guardians of their identity, their history and their holy sites.
• To design a unified and permanent international communications strategy in defence of Jerusalem, encompassing the production of informational and legal materials in various languages, the rigorous documentation of the violations committed against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian population of Jerusalem, and the continuous supply of information, documents and evidence to the international media.
• To establish a specialized international network on Jerusalem bringing together journalistic and legal institutions and independent media, with the aim of conveying the reality of events, countering disinformation and keeping the question of Jerusalem permanently on the international agenda.
• To call upon the Arab and Islamic peoples, the free people of the world, civil-society organizations, trade unions, professional associations and popular movements to strengthen their commitment to Jerusalem through public activities, solidarity campaigns and advocacy actions aimed at halting the violations committed against the Holy City.
The steadfastness of Jerusalem’s Palestinian population can no longer depend solely on individual sacrifices. It requires genuine, organized and sustained support. What is happening today in Jerusalem is a true test of the nation’s commitment to its religious, moral and historical responsibilities, as well as of the international community’s consistency with the legal principles and values it claims to defend.
We reaffirm that silence in the face of these violations only encourages the occupying Power to pursue its projects to Judaize Jerusalem, alter its identity and impose faits accomplis whose reversal may prove impossible in the future.
Accordingly, we make an urgent appeal to all actors, each within the scope of their competences and responsibilities, to adopt concrete and effective measures in defence of Jerusalem, its population and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, rejecting all Israeli measures contrary to international law that threaten the peace and stability of the region.
Jerusalem is not a passing political matter; it represents a historical, civilizational, religious and human responsibility that concerns everyone. The moment of testing has come, and the city today needs, more than new declarations, firm decisions, effective actions and a collective will capable of protecting its identity, its inhabitants and its holy sites.
History will record the position taken by States, institutions and moral authorities in the face of what Jerusalem confronts today. The city needs no further communiqués, but rather decisions and measures that safeguard its status, protect its holy sites and prevent the violations and the facts imposed by force from turning into a permanent reality.
Finally, we place this responsibility before the conscience of all. We have fulfilled the duty imposed on us by our responsibility towards the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem, its people and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Signatories
Popular Conference of Palestinians Abroad
Al-Quds International Foundation
Arab Nationalist Congress
Palestinian Union of Latin America (UPAL)
Conference of Palestinians in Europe
Islamic Nationalist Congress.
Palestinian Popular Conference – 14 Million
Palestinian National Congress
Salvadoran Palestinian Association
Academic Network for Solidarity with Palestine – Mexico
Palestinian National Movement “A’idun” (We Shall Return)
International Arab Centre for Communication and Solidarity
Chilean League of Solidarity with Palestine
Colombian-Palestinian Cultural Foundation
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