Amman Rejects Any Attempts to Alter Al-Aqsa Mosque Status Quo

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Jordan on Tuesday reiterated that Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its total area of 144 dunums, including its walls and gates, is a place of worship for Muslims only.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, the Jordan-run Jerusalem al-Quds Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department, under international law and legal and historical status quo, has the exclusive authority to supervise the holy site’s affairs and manage entries.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Daifallah Fayez voiced the country’s rejection of any attempts to alter Al-Aqsa Mosque’s historical and legal status quo.

Fayez also reaffirmed that Mughrabi Gate (Bab Al Magharbeh) and the road leading to it, is an integral and inseparable part of Al-Aqsa Mosque, in accordance with UNESCO decisions, the Jordan Times reported.

The Mughrabi Gate is like the other gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, but Israeli authorities have confiscated its keys since 1967,  denying the awqaf department’s right to manage the entries of non-Muslim tourists, which violates the status quo, the statement said, stressing that, the Jerusalem al-Quds Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department, to this day, is still committed to restoring it.

Fayez said that the Kingdom as the custodian of Jerusalem al-Quds’ Islamic and Christian holy sites will continue its efforts towards protecting Al-Aqsa Mosque and preserving the rights of all Muslims.