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KABUL: Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar has spoken with Palestinian FM Riyad al-Maliki and denounced the raging violence and aggression in Palestinian territory.
FM Atmar conveyed President Ashraf Ghani’s condolences on the killing of several dozen people and expressed Afghanistan’s solidarity with Palestinian people. “We demand immediate cessation of violence,” Mr. said in a tweet.
Moreover, Atmr also talked with Pakistan FM and discussed the current situation in Palestine.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Shah Mahmood Qureshi received a telephone call from his Afghan counterpart Haneef Atmar.
The two diplomats exchanged Eid greetings, discussed the Afghan peace process, and shared views about the current situation in Palestine.
“Foreign Minister Qureshi condemned the indiscriminate use of force and attacks by Israeli forces in Al-Aqsa and Gaza, called for the protection of civilians, and underscored the need for the international community to take urgent steps to address the grave situation in the occupied territories,” read the statement.
Qureshi reaffirmed his country’s support and solidarity with the Palestinians, and for a just and lasting solution to the issue in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and international legitimacy.
Tensions have escalated in the region since an Israeli court ordered the eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents of the neighborhood were targeted by Israeli forces.
The occupying forces also raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque during special night prayers for the fasting month of Ramadan.
The conflict moved to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate against Israeli assaults. At least 122 Palestinians have been killed in the Jewish state’s air and ground offensive since May 10, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Qureshi also welcomed the announcement of the three-day cease-fire in Afghanistan for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
The development came as a bomb ripped through a mosque in northern Kabul during Friday prayers, killing several worshippers, the latest in a surge in violence as foreign troops begin their final withdrawal from the war-torn country.
