Malaysia Strongly Condemns Infiltration of Over a Thousand Settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque Courtyards

Kuala Lumpur, Sept 30 (KUNA) – Malaysia today strongly condemned the mass incursion into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, carried out on September 28 by 1,000 “illegal” Israeli settlers and senior Israeli officials under the protection of occupation forces. In a statement on Wednesday, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the deliberate incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque constitutes a serious violation that undermines the historical and legal status quo of the holy site, and represents an overt attempt to impose a new reality on the ground. The ministry added that these repeated incursions constitute a blatant violation of international law and the historical and legal status quo governing the Noble Sanctuary, and noted that they are part of ongoing occupation efforts to alter the identity and character of Al-Aqsa Mosque and occupied East Jerusalem. It emphasized its firm rejection of any such attempts, stressing the necessity of full respect for the sanctity of the Noble Sanctuary and the religious rights of Muslim worshippers, and their preservation. Malaysia called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to take urgent and concrete measures to compel the occupation authorities to immediately halt these “deliberate and blatant violations” and to hold them accountable for their continuous attempts to undermine the historical and legal status quo at the Noble Sanctuary. Malaysia reaffirmed its steadfast solidarity with the Palestinian people and their inalienable right to self-determination, and reiterated its continued support for the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. (End) E.A.B. / T.A.B.