Arab and Islamic Countries Condemn Continued Occupation by Closing Al-Aqsa Mosque

SadaNews - The foreign ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Turkey condemned the ongoing Israeli occupation authorities' closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif to Muslim worshipers, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. The ministers, in a joint statement, said that the security restrictions imposed on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship, along with the discriminatory and arbitrary restrictions imposed on access to other places of worship in the Old City, constitute a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, as well as the existing historical and legal status, and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship. The ministers affirmed their absolute rejection and condemnation of these illegal and unjustified measures, and of Israel's continued provocative practices at the Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif against worshipers. They emphasized that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sanctities. The ministers renewed their assertion that the entire area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif, which spans 144 dunams, is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is the legal body with exclusive jurisdiction over managing the affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and regulating access to it. The ministers called on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately stop closing the doors of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and not to obstruct the access of worshipers to the mosque, to lift the restrictions imposed on access to the Old City of Jerusalem, and to refrain from interfering with the access of Muslim worshipers to the mosque. They also called on the international community to take a firm stance obligating Israel to stop its ongoing violations and illegal practices against the Islamic and Christian sanctities in Jerusalem, and its violations of the sanctity of these holy places.