8 Arab and Islamic Countries Condemn the Storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque

SadaNews - Eight Arab and Islamic countries condemned on Tuesday the continued incursions of extremist Israeli settlers into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif under the protection of Israeli forces, as well as the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards.

This came in a statement from the foreign ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Turkey, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, and the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The Arab and Muslim foreign ministers affirmed that these provocative and rejected acts constitute a blatant violation of international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the existing historical and legal status in the holy places in occupied East Jerusalem.

The foreign ministers condemned the continued violations and systematic and unlawful actions carried out by the Israeli authorities, the occupying power, aimed at altering the historical, legal, and demographic character of the occupied East Jerusalem, and desecrating and undermining the sanctity and status of its Islamic and Christian sanctities.

‏They reiterated their absolute rejection of any attempts to change the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sanctities, emphasizing the necessity of maintaining it, while acknowledging the special role of the historical Hashemite guardianship in this regard. The ministers also reaffirmed that the entire area of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif, totaling 144 dunams, is an exclusively worship space for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, which is affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction to manage all affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif and to regulate entry to it.

‏The ministers held the Israeli authorities responsible for halting these escalatory procedures and warned that the repeated Israeli violations lead to an exacerbation of tensions, fueling instability and extremism, and undermining international efforts aimed at achieving peace, as they constitute a clear breach of Israel's commitments under international law. They called for the immediate cessation of all these illegal and provocative Israeli practices, reiterating once again the necessity of respecting the existing historical and legal status in the entire blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif.

‏The foreign ministers reaffirmed their steadfast solidarity with the Palestinian people and their unwavering support for achieving their legitimate and inalienable national rights, foremost among which is their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent sovereign Palestinian state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They also renewed their support for all efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution and in accordance with international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative.