Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed “the need to avoid escalation immediately” CAIRO: Egypt has strongly condemned Israel’s escalation in the occupied Palestinian territories in recent days, its targeting of civilians, and incursions by settlers — under police protection — into the courtyards of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez stressed “the need to avoid escalation immediately, especially during the holy month of Ramadan and Christian and Jewish holidays, while not slipping into cycles of violence that prevent achieving the desired stability.” He also stressed “the importance of adhering to the rules of international law to provide protection for Palestinian civilians and to stop any practices that violate the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and other religious sanctities and the identity of East Jerusalem.”