Pakistan and seven Arab and Muslim countries on Friday condemned what they described as Israel’s “flagrant violation” of the historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, denouncing continued incursions by Israeli settlers and officials into the holy site.
The condemnation followed the entry of around 1,300 Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, into the Al-Aqsa compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday during Tisha B’Av, a Jewish day of mourning commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Jewish Temples.
In a joint statement released by Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates condemned “in the strongest terms” the continued incursions by Israeli settlers led by what they described as extremist ministers under the protection of Israeli security forces.
The ministers also denounced the raising of the Israeli flag inside the mosque compound, the erection of two tents by Israeli police and other actions they described as provocative.
They said the measures constituted “a flagrant violation of international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.”
The joint statement reiterated that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied East Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites, warning that such actions threaten regional stability and further undermine prospects for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.