LONDON(RAHNUMA): The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar and Turkiye have condemned the storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday.
The settlers raised Israeli flags on the steps leading to the Dome of the Rock, chanted and sang the Israeli national anthem under the protection of the police. They entered the compound from Al-Maghrabah Gate, which is controlled by Israeli authorities.
The ministers said they rejected any attempts to alter the historical, legal and demographic character of occupied East Jerusalem or that threatened the sanctity of its Islamic and Christian sites, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site, has witnessed frequent clashes, including raids by settlers and restrictions on Muslim worshippers, since East Jerusalem was occupied in June 1967.
Al-Aqsa compound is administered by Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, which holds the legal authority to manage the compound and control access.
Israeli settlers, who refer to the area as the Temple Mount, seek to establish a presence in the compound to perform Jewish prayers at certain times. Several senior Israeli lawmakers, including the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have publicly endorsed these plans.
