Bahrain, UAE Condemn Israel Over Clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque

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Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have condemned Israel over clashes between police and worshipers at the Al-Aqsa mosque that followed days of protests over the potential eviction of Palestinians from a neighborhood in east Jerusalem.

Bahrain called on Israel to immediately stop any further provocation of the people of Jerusalem, its foreign ministry said in a statement on Twitter. Israel’s plan to evict people from Jerusalem “violates the resolutions of international legitimacy, and undermines the chances of resuming the peace process to achieve security and stability in the region.”

The Emirates expressed its “deep concern over the violence” and called on Israeli authorities to “take responsibility for the de-escalation, to end all attacks and practices that lead to continued tension,” according to a foreign ministry statement. The UAE also stressed “the need to preserve the historical identity of occupied Jerusalem, calm down and exercise utmost restraint to avoid the region drifting into new levels of instability and threatening peace.”

Dozens of people were injured in the clashes on Friday night after tens of thousands gathered at the third-holiest mosque in Islam to mark the end of Ramadan under a heavy police presence, the Associated Press reported. Clashes broke out with worshipers throwing chairs and rocks and police in riot gear firing rubber bullets and using grenades, the AP said.

Bahrain became the second Gulf nation to normalize ties with Israel last year after the United Arab Emirates announced a similar plan.

The government’s statement came after the U.S. said it’s “extremely concerned” about ongoing confrontations in Jerusalem, including on the Temple Mount and potential evictions in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods.

Israel’s foreign ministry said Friday that some Palestinians were presenting a private real estate dispute as a national cause in order to incite violence in Jerusalem.

U.S. Concerned About Ongoing Confrontations in Jerusalem

( Updates with UAE statement in headline, lead and third paragraph)