Israeli Storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque Draws Muslim World’s Condemnation
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates denounced the “mass incursions by settlers led by extremist Israeli ministers into the Noble Sanctuary” of Al-Aqsa.
The diplomats underscored that the storming of Islam’s third-holiest site took place under the protection of Israeli police forces.
“These provocative actions fuel hatred and extremism, and obstruct efforts to advance a just and lasting peace,” the statement said, calling the escalation “an unlawful attempt to alter the historical and legal status quo” of the holy sites in al-Quds.
“Israel has no sovereignty over occupied al-Quds or its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” it said.
More than 4,200 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday, one of the largest incursions this year, to mark the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av.
Israel’s far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also entered the site under heavy police protection.
Palestinian officials said Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions at the mosque’s gates, barred large numbers of Palestinian worshippers and students from entering, and assaulted several people.
Israel captured East al-Quds in 1967 and formally annexed it in 1980. In 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory, including East al-Quds, is illegal.
Under the status quo, the al-Quds Waqf, a Jordanian-appointed body, manages the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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The joint statement on Thursday denounced “the illegal and extremist acts represented by incitement and calls to mobilize incursions, as well as acts of violence committed by Israeli ministers and extremist groups”.
The statement called on Israel, “as the occupying power, to immediately lift the restrictions” imposed on access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It also called on the international community “to take a firm stance obligating Israel to cease its ongoing violations and illegal practices against the Islamic and Christian holy sites in al-Quds, and its violations of the sanctity of these holy sites”.
Source: Al Jazeera
