The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have strongly condemned Israel's escalating violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

In a joint statement issued on July 23, the ministers denounced the continued incursions by Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. They specifically condemned visits led by extremist Israeli ministers, the raising of the Israeli flag inside the mosque's courtyards, the installation of police tents within the compound, and other provocative measures aimed at altering the site's historical and legal status.

The ministers said these actions constitute a blatant violation of international law, United Nations resolutions, and the longstanding historical and legal status quo governing the Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.

The statement also condemned the incitement and mobilization campaigns led by Israeli extremist ministers and settler groups, accusing them of encouraging further incursions and violence against Palestinian worshippers. The ministers warned that these provocations fuel extremism, inflame tensions, and undermine all efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The eight countries further condemned Israel's restrictions on Palestinian access to Jerusalem's Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, describing the measures as discriminatory collective punishment and a clear violation of international humanitarian law. They said preventing Muslim worshippers from freely accessing their holy sites is part of broader Israeli policies aimed at changing the demographic, historical, and religious character of occupied Jerusalem.

Reaffirming their position on the legal status of the city, the ministers stressed that Israel, as the occupying power, has no sovereignty over occupied East Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The joint statement strongly denounced what it described as Israel's continued and systematic attempts to Judaize occupied Jerusalem through settlement expansion, demographic changes, restrictions on Palestinian residents, and repeated violations against religious sanctities.

The ministers categorically rejected any attempt to alter the historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque, reaffirming that the entire 144-dunam Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is an Islamic holy site dedicated exclusively to Muslim worship. They also emphasized that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, operating under Jordan's Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the only legal authority responsible for administering the mosque and regulating access to the sacred compound.

Calling for urgent international intervention, the ministers urged Israel to immediately end restrictions on Palestinian worshippers, cease all settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, and halt all measures targeting the Islamic and Christian identity of occupied Jerusalem.

The eight countries also called on the international community to move beyond statements of concern and adopt concrete measures that compel Israel to end its ongoing violations against the holy sites and uphold its obligations under international law. They warned that continued impunity for Israeli actions threatens not only the sanctity of Jerusalem's religious sites but also regional stability and prospects for a just resolution to the Palestinian question. (ILKHA)