Widespread Arab condemnation of Israeli escalation against holy sites and the Palestinian people
The circle of condemnation has widened over the Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank and the continued provocative raids by officials and settlers on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), expressed his strong condemnation and denunciation of the raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque by an extremist minister in the Israeli occupation government and a number of extremist settlers, carried out under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
In a press statement, Al-Budaiwi stated that these raids represent a continuation of provocative practices aimed at inciting tensions and undermining efforts to achieve security, peace, and stability in the region.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, in turn, condemned the raid in the strongest terms. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated in a statement the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of the provocative practices and the illegal, extremist acts of incitement and violence committed by Israeli occupation officials against Palestinians and the holy sites in occupied Palestine.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized in a statement that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that all unilateral measures aimed at changing the existing historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites are null and void under international law.
The ministry also reaffirmed the State of Qatar’s steadfast position in support of the Palestinian cause and the resilience of the Palestinian people until they obtain their legitimate rights, foremost among which is the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Earlier, the Jerusalem Governorate announced that Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Minister of National Security in the Israeli occupation government, had raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy military escort by the Israeli army and performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern section of the mosque.
The Arab League also condemned the raid on the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli occupation government’s security minister and hundreds of Jewish settlers, carried out under the protection of occupation forces, reaffirming its rejection of any violation of the mosque’s sanctity or any attempt to alter the existing historical and legal status quo.
The statement also denounced the continuation of raids, searches, and arrest campaigns in Palestinian cities and towns, particularly in the town of Bedouin, northwest of Jerusalem, where arrests, home searches, vandalism, and attacks on citizens have been carried out.
