Says Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites
Pakistan and seven Arab-Islamic countries on Friday condemned what they called Israel’s “flagrant violation” of the historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, condemning continued settler attacks led by extremist Israeli ministers under military protection and warning that the actions undermine an international law and prospect solution.
The condemnation comes a day after 1,300 Israeli occupiers, along with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem as they marked the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av, commemorating what they call “the destruction of the Temple.”
In a joint statement shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the continued incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers led by extremist ministers under the protection of Israeli forces.
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Joint Statement of the Foreign Ministers of the Group of Eight Arab-Islamic States
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The ministers condemned the “continued encroachment of mass settlers led by extremist Israeli ministers” into the mosque area, the raising of the Israeli flag in its courtyards, the construction of two tents by Israeli police and “all other inflammatory actions.”
They said these actions constituted “a flagrant violation of international law, the relevant UN resolutions and the historical and legal status quo of the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.”
The joint statement also condemned the “illegal and extremist acts of incitement, intrusion, mobilization calls and violence by Israeli extremist ministers and groups,” warning that such acts “fuel hatred and extremism” and hinder efforts to achieve “a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.”
The foreign ministers said restrictions imposed on access to Jerusalem’s Old City and its places of worship, along with what they called discriminatory and arbitrary restrictions on access to other religious sites, constituted “a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law,” and represented “an illegal attempt to change the historical and legal status quo.”
Read: Around 1,300 Israeli occupiers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem
They emphasized that “Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites.”
The ministers further condemned Israel’s “continued and systematic violations and measures” aimed at changing “the historical, legal and demographic character of occupied East Jerusalem” and undermining the sanctity and status of its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Reaffirming their “categorical rejection of any attempt to change the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” the ministers stressed the need to preserve the existing arrangements while recognizing “the special role played by the historic Hashemite guardianship” over the holy sites.
The statement reiterated that “the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which amounts to 144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims,” adding that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Department, attached to Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, “remains the sole authority for legal affairs and Islamic affairs” of the mosque compound and regulating entry.
The ministers called on Israel, “as the occupying power,” to immediately remove restrictions on access to Jerusalem’s Old City and “refrain from obstructing Muslim worshipers’ access to the mosque.”
They also called on the international community to take “a firm stance” forcing Israel to halt what they described as its ongoing violations and illegal practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as violations of the sanctity of those sites.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third holiest site for Muslims. Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount and claim that it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the Arab-Israeli War in 1967. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.
