Islamabad, The Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have issued a joint statement strongly condemning Israel’s recent escalation at Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif in occupied East Jerusalem.
The ministers denounced the continued mass incursions by Israeli settlers, led by extremist Israeli ministers and conducted under the protection of Israeli forces. They also condemned the raising of the Israeli flag within the mosque’s courtyards, the erection of two police tents inside the compound, and other actions described as provocative and inflammatory. The statement said these measures constitute a flagrant violation of international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo governing the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.
The eight countries also strongly condemned what they described as illegal and extremist incitement, organized calls for further settler incursions, and acts of violence by Israeli ministers and extremist groups. They warned that such actions fuel hatred and extremism while undermining efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.
The joint statement further criticized restrictions imposed on access to Jerusalem’s Old City and its places of worship, describing discriminatory and arbitrary limitations on worshippers as violations of international law, including international humanitarian law, and attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo.
The ministers stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites and condemned what they termed Israel’s continued and systematic measures aimed at changing the historical, legal, and demographic character of occupied East Jerusalem.
Reaffirming their categorical rejection of any attempt to alter the status quo, the ministers emphasized the importance of preserving the historical and legal arrangements governing Jerusalem’s holy sites. They also recognized the special role of the Hashemite custodianship and reiterated that the entire 144-dunam Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound is exclusively a Muslim place of worship. The statement affirmed that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, under Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, remains the sole legal authority responsible for administering the mosque and regulating access.
The ministers called on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift restrictions on access to Jerusalem’s Old City, refrain from preventing Muslim worshippers from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, and cease actions that violate the sanctity of Islamic and Christian holy sites.
They also urged the international community to adopt a firm position to compel Israel to halt its ongoing violations and illegal practices against the holy sites in Jerusalem and to uphold international law and the established legal and historical status quo.
