The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation strongly condemned the storming led by officials of the extremist Israeli occupation government, accompanied by over 3,000 settler gangs, into the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy protection from occupation forces, coinciding with the so-called 'Tisha B'Av,' in a flagrant and blatant violation of the historical and legal status quo in holy Jerusalem, and a provocation to the feelings of Muslims and the peoples of the world.

The General Secretariat affirmed that this provocation, along with accompanying calls and mobilization to increase unprecedented numbers of extremist settler intruders into Al-Aqsa Mosque amid military restrictions and preventing worshipers from reaching it, in addition to performing 'Talmudic rituals' during their incursions which included performing what is called 'epic prostration' and chanting songs loudly, constitutes a real threat that contributes to igniting and exploding religious conflict in the region.

Al-Aqsa Mosque Storming

It stated that these incursions are part of the systematic Israeli occupation policy, aimed at imposing a fait accompli by force and undermining the existing status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque, paving the way for imposing temporal and spatial division, as part of efforts to Judaize Jerusalem and holy sites.

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The General Secretariat stressed that the holy Al-Haram Al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) in its entirety, covering an area of 144 dunams, is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims, and that any unilateral measures or attempts to impose new facts by the Israeli occupation authorities constitute an assault on this historical and legal right of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It affirms that all Israeli measures aimed at changing the historical, demographic, and legal character of the holy city of Jerusalem are null and void under international law and relevant UN resolutions, and cannot create any legal effect, stressing that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory since 1967. The General Secretariat called on the international community and all its institutions to urgently move to stop these violations, ensure freedom of worship in the occupied city of Jerusalem, and hold the occupation government accountable for its crimes and violations.