RIYADH: Jordan’s King Abdullah on Thursday stressed the need to unify, coordinate, and step up Arab efforts to halt escalations in Jerusalem, again urging Israel to respect the historical and legal status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque and safeguard the rights of Muslim worshippers.

Speaking during a meeting of the Arab League ministerial committee tasked with galvanizing international action to counter illegal Israeli measures in Jerusalem, the monarch expressed appreciation for Arab leaders’ stances in calling for calm in the Palestinian territories, and in supporting the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, as well as the Hashemite Custodianship.

He urged further efforts to prevent the recurrence of any form of escalation, state news agency Petra reported.

An upsurge of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in recent weeks has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Al-Khuraiji participated in the work of the fourth emergency meeting in the capital, Amman, on behalf of Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The committee is chaired by Jordan and includes Saudi Arabia, Tunisia — the president of the Arab League’s current cycle — Algeria, Palestine, Qatar, Egypt, and Morocco.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also took part in the meeting, along with the UAE, as the Arab country which is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The meeting discussed ways to confront the dangerous Israeli escalation in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to solidify a joint action to stop the Israeli attacks and violations of the holy sites, halt the violence, and restore comprehensive calm.

The committee also called on the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to take immediate and effective action to stop the illegal and provocative Israeli practices in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in order to protect international law and the UN Charter, prevent an exacerbation of the wave of violence, and maintain security and peace.

The committee issued a final statement in which it stressed its condemnation of the Israeli attacks and violations against worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque. The committee also warned that the attacks and violations were a flagrant provocation to Muslims everywhere.

“These violations are a blatant affront and provocation of Muslim feelings everywhere and they risk a cycle of violence that threatens security and stability in the region and the world,” the Arab League said in a statement.