International

Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia and Arab and Islamic States Strongly Condemn Israeli Escalation in the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Holy Sanctuary of Jerusalem

SPA - Riyadh

Date of Publication: July 23, 2026 22:53 KSA

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the Israeli escalation in the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Holy Sanctuary of Jerusalem, particularly the continued mass incursions of settlers led by extremist Israeli ministers under the protection of Israeli police, the raising of the Israeli flag inside its courtyards, the setting up of tents by Israeli police, and other provocative acts. They affirmed that these unacceptable escalatory actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, relevant UN resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo in 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 based on 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 places.

The foreign ministers also condemned the continued violations and systematic measures implemented by Israel, the occupying power, aimed at changing the historical, legal, and demographic character of occupied East Jerusalem and undermining the sanctity and status of its Islamic and Christian holy sites. They reiterated their categorical 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 reaffirmed that the entire area of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Holy Sanctuary of Jerusalem, amounting to 144 dunams, is a pure place of worship for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Awqaf Department and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Holy Sites, is the legal entity with exclusive authority to manage all affairs of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Holy Sanctuary of Jerusalem 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.