Eight Muslim-majority countries have issued a strong warning over repeated Israeli actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, condemning what they described as violations of the historic and legal status quo governing holy sites in Jerusalem.
In a joint statement recently, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey denounced continued incursions by Israeli settlers and ministers into the mosque compound under police protection.
The ministers also criticised incidents in which the Israeli flag was raised inside the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling such acts provocative and a violation of the sanctity of the site
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The statement reaffirmed rejection of any attempt to alter the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy places. It also recognised the special role of the historic Hashemite custodianship in protecting the sites.
The ministers stressed that the entire Al-Aqsa Mosque/Haram Al-Sharif area, spanning 144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims. They said the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, remains the sole legal authority responsible for administration of the compound and regulation of entry.
Since the beginning of April, the frequency of the incursions has reportedly increased, with settlers performing public rituals and collective prostrations inside the mosque courtyards.
On April 12, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the compound alongside settlers, where Talmudic prayers and rituals were reportedly performed amid applause and singing. It marked his second visit to the site in less than a week and his 16th since taking office in 2023.
Despite the end of a 40-day closure imposed under what Israeli authorities described as a state of emergency, reports said settlers entered the mosque courtyards on the first day of reopening, carrying out mass prostrations and public rituals. Reports also noted an expansion in the duration of incursions.
Settlement expansion condemned
The joint statement also condemned Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, including the reported approval of more than 30 new settlements.
It further denounced escalating settler violence against Palestinians, including attacks targeting schools and children, and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
The ministers said such measures undermine peace efforts, increase regional tensions and threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state.
They urged the international community to take decisive steps to stop what they called dangerous escalation and illegal practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The eight countries also reaffirmed support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
