Arab and Islamic Foreign Ministers Condemn Israeli Escalation at Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Holy Sanctuary

The foreign ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Turkey, the State of Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the Israeli escalation at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / the noble Haram al-Sharif, especially the continued mass incursions by settlers led by extremist Israeli ministers into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / the noble Haram al-Sharif, under the protection of Israeli police forces, the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards, the Israeli police setting up two tents, and other provocative actions. They affirmed that these escalatory and unacceptable acts constitute a flagrant violation of international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.

The ministers also denounced and condemned in the strongest terms the illegal and extremist acts of incitement and calls to mobilize incursions, and the acts of violence committed by extremist Israeli ministers and groups, warning that these provocative actions fuel hatred and extremism and hinder efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace on the basis of the two-state solution.

They said: "The restrictions imposed on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship, along with the discriminatory and arbitrary restrictions on access to other places of worship in the Old City, constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, and illegal attempts to change the historical and legal status quo," affirming that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The foreign ministers also condemned the continued violations and systematic measures carried out by Israel, the occupying power, aimed at changing the historical, legal, and demographic character of the occupied city of East Jerusalem, and undermining the sanctity and status of its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

They reiterated their absolute rejection of any attempts to change the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, stressing the need to preserve it, while affirming the special role of the historical Hashemite custodianship in this regard. The ministers renewed their affirmation that the entire area of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / the noble Haram al-Sharif, amounting to 144 dunums, is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Waqf Administration and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department of the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places is the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction to manage all affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / the noble Haram al-Sharif and regulate entry 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 the access of Muslim worshippers to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

They also called on the international community to take a firm stance that compels Israel to stop its ongoing violations and illegal practices against the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and its violations of the sanctity of these holy sites.