Arab and Islamic condemnation of Israeli escalation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Cairo, 23 (KUNA) -- The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar today strongly condemned the Israeli occupation’s escalation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound / the Noble Sanctuary.
In a joint statement issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ministers pointed to the continued large-scale incursions by settlers, led by extremist Israeli ministers, into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound / the Noble Sanctuary under the protection of occupation police forces, the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards, the deployment of police tents, and other provocative acts.
The ministers affirmed that these escalatory and unacceptable actions constitute a blatant violation of international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem. They also expressed their strongest condemnation and rejection of the illegal and extremist acts committed by Israeli ministers and extremist groups, including incitement and calls to mobilize incursions and violence.
The ministers warned that these provocative acts fuel hatred and extremism and hinder efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution. They affirmed that restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship, along with discriminatory and arbitrary restrictions on access to other places of worship in the Old City, constitute a blatant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, and illegal attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo.
In this regard, they stressed that the Israeli occupation has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites. The foreign ministers condemned the continued systematic violations and measures implemented by the occupation 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.
They reiterated their firm rejection of any attempts to change the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, emphasizing the necessity of preserving it and reaffirming the special role of the Hashemite Custodianship in this regard.
The ministers also reiterated that the entire area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound / the Noble Sanctuary, covering 144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Waqf Affairs and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Administration, under the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments, Islamic Affairs, and Holy Affairs, is the sole legal authority with exclusive jurisdiction over the management of all affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound / the Noble Sanctuary and regulating access to it.
The ministers called on the Israeli occupation to immediately lift restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and to refrain from obstructing the access of Muslim worshippers to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. They also called on the international community to take a firm stance compelling the occupation to halt its continuous violations and illegal practices against the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and its violations of the sanctity of these holy sites. (End) A.S.M. / H.S.S.
