Joint Statement by 8 Arab and Islamic Countries Condemns Mass Invasions by Settlers into Al-Aqsa

SadaNews - Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, 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, and the State of Qatar condemned the Israeli escalation in the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif, and the ongoing incursions by settlers led by extremist Israeli ministers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the protection of the Israeli police, the raising of the Israeli flag inside its courtyards, the installation of two tents by the Israeli police, and other provocative actions.

The ministers confirmed in a joint statement issued today, Friday, that these unacceptable and escalatory actions constitute a blatant violation of international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo in the sacred places of occupied East Jerusalem.

The ministers strongly condemned the illegal and extremist actions represented by incitement and calls to mobilize incursions, and acts of violence perpetrated by ministers and extremist Israeli groups. The statement warned that these provocative actions fuel hatred and extremism and hinder efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.

The statement indicated that the restrictions imposed on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship, along with discriminatory and arbitrary restrictions on access to all places of worship in the Old City, constitute a blatant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, and illegal attempts to change the historical and legal status quo.

The ministers stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The foreign ministers also condemned the ongoing violations and systematic measures implemented by Israel, the occupying power, aimed at changing the historical, legal, and demographic character of the occupied East Jerusalem, and undermining the sanctity and status of its Islamic and Christian holy sites. They unequivocally rejected 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, while reaffirming the special role of the historic Hashemite guardianship in this regard.

The ministers affirmed that the entire area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif, which spans 144 dunums, is a purely worship place for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the legal authority with exclusive jurisdiction over the management of all affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif and regulating access to it.

The ministers called on Israel as the occupying power to immediately lift the restrictions imposed on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and to refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers' access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

They also urged the international community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to stop its ongoing violations and illegal practices against the Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem, and violations of the sanctity of these holy places.