ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Arab nations condemned Israel’s actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque, warning that settler incursions and restrictions on worship threaten both Jerusalem’s historic status quo and regional peace efforts.

A joint statement by foreign ministers of the Group of Eight Arab-Islamic States released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday stated: “The Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Türkiye, the Republic of Indonesia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates condemn in the strongest terms the Israeli escalation at Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif.”

It also condemned the “continued mass settlers’ incursions led by extremist Israeli ministers, into Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif under the protection of the Israeli forces, the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards, the erection by Israeli police of two tents, and all other inflammatory acts. They stress that these provocative and unacceptable actions constitute 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 statement further added that the ministers deplored and condemned “in the strongest terms the illegal and extremist acts of incitement, incursions’ mobilization calls and violence by Israeli extremist ministers and groups.”

“The Ministers warn that these provocative actions fuel hatred and extremism, and obstruct efforts to advance a just and lasting peace on the basis of the two-State solution,” the statement said.

It said that the “restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship coupled with discriminatory and arbitrary access restrictions to the other places of worship in the Old City constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, and an unlawful attempt 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.”

According to the statement, “The Foreign Ministers further condemn the continued and systematic violations and measures carried out by Israel, the occupying Power, aimed at altering the historical, legal, and demographic character of occupied East Jerusalem and undermining the sanctity and status of its Islamic and Christian holy sites.”

“They reaffirm their categorical rejection of any attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and stress on its preservation while recognizing the special role of the historical Hashemite custodianship in this regard.”

The foreign ministers reiterated that the “entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Sharif, which amounts to 144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction to administer the affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif and to regulate entry thereto.”

“The Ministers called on Israel, as the occupying Power, to immediately remove access restrictions to the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the Mosque,” the statement read.

The foreign minister also called on the international community to adopt a firm position that “compels Israel to halt its ongoing violations and illegal practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as its violations of the sanctity of these holy places.”

Articles tagged with "Arab Nations"

Pakistan, Arab nations' FMs condemn Israeli incursions at Al-Aqsa

Pakistan, Arab nations' FMs condemn Israeli incursions at Al-Aqsa