LONDON: The UAE on Tuesday summoned Israel’s ambassador to inform him of the emirates’ “strong protest and denunciation of the incidents taking place in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque,” state news agency WAM reported.

Palestinian protesters continued to clash with troops from the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday in the West Bank, four days after at least 152 Palestinians were injured by Israeli riot police inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the latest outbreak in an upsurge of violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.

Reem bint Ibrahim Al-Hashemy, minister of state for international cooperation, summoned Amir Hayek, Israel’s ambassador to the UAE, and also informed him of the country’s strong protest against attacks on civilians and incursions into holy places that resulted in the injury of a number of civilians.

“Al-Hashemy stressed the need to immediately stop these events, provide full protection for worshipers, respect the right of Palestinians to practice their religious rites, and halt any practices that violate the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque,” the WAM statement said.

She expressed concern over the escalating tension that threatened regional stability and security and called for the need to foster an appropriate environment that would allow a return to serious negotiations to achieve a just and comprehensive peace and establish an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Al-Hashemy also reiterated the need to respect Jordan’s custodial role over the holy sites and endowments, in accordance with international law, and not to compromise the authority of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf administration and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The UAE, along with Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, signed a US-brokered peace deal with Israel in August 2020 to formally restore diplomatic relations with the Zionist state, known as the Abraham Accords.