Riyadh: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi has strongly condemned the crime committed by settlers who set fire to a mosque in Kur Village, Tulkarm Governorate, and defaced it with racist slogans. This act, targeting places of worship and Islamic holy sites, represents a clear breach of international law and humanitarian principles, while provoking the sentiments of Muslims worldwide.

According to Saudi Press Agency, Albudaiwi emphasized that this attack is part of a continuing series of violations against the Palestinian people and their sacred sites. He held the Israeli occupation forces fully accountable for this crime and similar repeated attacks, attributing them to policies that protect and ignore settler violence, thereby fostering impunity and a lack of accountability. This, he warned, could lead to a dangerous escalation threatening regional security and stability.

The GCC secretary-general highlighted that assaults on places of worship are a direct violation of the sanctity of holy sites and a serious breach of human values and international agreements that guarantee the protection of religious locations and the freedom of worship.

Albudaiwi urged the international community, the Security Council, and human rights and humanitarian organizations to urgently fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities. He called for immediate action to stop these severe violations, hold those responsible accountable, and provide international protection for the Palestinian people and their holy sites. He warned that continued global silence regarding these crimes would encourage their recurrence and undermine the prospects for achieving peace and security in the region.

He reaffirmed the GCC's unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their right to establish an independent state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.