Dubai, Apr 20 (IANS): Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) minister of state for International Cooperation (MoFAIC), has summoned Amir Hayek, Israeli ambassador to the UAE, to "strongly protest and denounce the events taking place in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque," according to a MoFAIC statement on Tuesday.

The UAE protested the "attacks on civilians and incursions into holy places that resulted in the injury of a number of civilians," the statement was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Al Hashimy 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, it added.

The UAE is calling for a return to serious negotiations aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive peace and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.