Key Takeaways
- Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE issued a joint statement condemning Israel's actions.
- The ministers condemned 'provocative actions' including mass settler incursions and raising of Israeli flags within Al Aqsa Mosque.
- They called for immediate removal of access restrictions to the Old City and Muslim worshippers’ access to the mosque.
Pakistan, along with seven other countries—Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—have jointly condemned Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's incursion into Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque compound. The joint statement was issued in response to a recent event where hundreds of Israeli Jews entered the site under the protection of Israeli forces.
The foreign ministers from these countries expressed their strong disapproval of the 'escalation' at Al Aqsa, particularly highlighting the continued mass settler incursions led by extremist Israeli ministers. The statement also criticized actions such as raising the Israeli flag within the mosque's courtyards and erecting tents by Israeli police.
Access to Al Aqsa Mosque is governed by a decades-old 'status quo' arrangement between Israel and Jordan, which administers the site. Under this agreement, Jews may visit but are not permitted to pray there, while Muslim worship continues uninterrupted. The joint statement emphasized that these actions constitute a violation of international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical status quo.
The ministers further condemned illegal and extremist acts of incitement, mobilization calls, and violence by Israeli extremist ministers and groups. They warned that such actions fuel hatred and extremism, obstructing efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.
The statement also highlighted restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship as well as discriminatory and arbitrary access restrictions to other places of worship. These were described as flagrant violations of international law, including international humanitarian law, and an unlawful attempt to alter the historical status quo.
In their joint declaration, the ministers reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites. They condemned Israel's 'continued and systematic violations' aimed at altering the historical, legal, and demographic character of occupied East Jerusalem and undermining the sanctity and status of its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
The statement concluded by calling on Israel as the occupying power to immediately remove access restrictions to the Old City and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to Al Aqsa Mosque. The ministers reiterated their categorical rejection of any attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
The joint statement emphasized the special role of the Hashemite custodianship, noting that the entire area of Al Aqsa Mosque amounts to 144 dunams and is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims. The Jerusalem Endowments and Al Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, was identified as the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction over the affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.
