EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday called on all sides to respect the status quo of holy sites in Jerusalem.
"We are deeply concerned about the recent clashes and violence, including this morning in and around Haram al-Sharif or Temple Mount," Borrell said at a press conference after a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers. "All sides are urged to respect the status quo of the holy sites."
Borrell also repeated the bloc’s previous statements condemning the eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and other areas of occupied East Jerusalem.
He stressed that these actions were a “matter of serious concern” for the EU since they are illegal under international humanitarian law and "only fuel tensions on the ground," Anadolu Agency reported.
"It is important that everything possible is done to avoid to fueling tensions," Borrell stressed, welcoming the Israeli authorities’ decision to stop Jewish worshippers from accessing the site as a "positive one that can calm the situation."
