Defend Al-Aqsa against Israeli takeover: Larijani

Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani speaks out against Israeli acts of sacrilege in the holy Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem (Al-Quds).

In a letter to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Larijani called for legal action against Israel's repeated violation of Muslim sanctities.

"First, they resorted to the illusion that Solomon's temple is located beneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to build a vast interconnected network of tunnels," read Larijani's letter.

"Now they have gone so far in their allegations that they intend to force Muslims share their Al-Aqsa Mosque so that they can dominate this holy place once and for all," he added.

Larijani said the Tel Aviv government's recent measures in Jerusalem (Al-Quds) are closely akin to those of former prime minister Ariel Sharon.

He was referring to Sharon's visit to Al-Aqsa in 2000, which triggered the seven-year Al-Aqsa Intifada.

"This is the same policy that Ariel Sharon, the Butcher of Sabra and Chatila, was pursuing when he broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in 2000, an action that resulted in the second Palestinian intifada," he continued

According to statistics obtained by the Palestinian News Network (PNN), more than 6,000 Palestinians have been killed with nearly 50,000 wounded since the beginning of the second Intifada.

Sixty-nine thousand Palestinians, meanwhile, have been arrested, including 7,800 children.

"This is also the same policy that the Zionist regime was following when it separated the al-Buraq wall, Magariba Gate and the Kanisat al-Qiyama," he explained.

"I would like to call upon all my honorable colleagues to further their valuable actions in defending this heavenly site and other sacred placed of Al-Quds and spare no effort in this regard," Larijani pleaded.

Larijani called for an end to the gradual Judaization of Jerusalem (Al-Quds), which was occupied in 1967 and annexed later in 1981 in a move not recognized by the international community.

The status of the city is among the thorniest issues of the conflict between Israel and Palestinians, who insist that any Palestinian state must include the city as its capital.