Khaberni - The foreign ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Turkey, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, and the Arab Republic of Egypt strongly condemned the ongoing restrictions imposed by Israel on the freedom of worship for Muslims and Christians in occupied Jerusalem, including the prevention of Muslim worshippers from accessing the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Noble Sanctuary and the prevention of the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem and the Custodian of the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to conduct Palm Sunday Mass. They renewed their condemnation and rejection of any Israeli attempts to alter the historical and legal status of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
These ongoing Israeli actions constitute a blatant violation of international law, including humanitarian law, as well as a breach of the existing historical and legal status, and represent an infringement on the unrestricted right to access places of worship.
The ministers confirmed their outright rejection of the Israeli illegal and restrictive measures against Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem, including the prevention of Christians from freely accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to perform their religious rites. They emphasized the need to respect the established historical and legal status in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, reaffirming that Israel, as the occupying power, has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem, and highlighting the necessity to stop all actions that hinder worshippers' access to their places of worship in Jerusalem.
The ministers renewed their condemnation of Israel's continued closure of the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Noble Sanctuary to worshippers for 30 consecutive days, including during the holy month of Ramadan, the imposition of restrictions on freedom of worship, which constitutes a severe violation of international law, the existing historical and legal status, and Israel's obligations as the occupying power. They warned of the risks of these escalatory measures on regional and international peace and security.
The ministers reiterated that the entire area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, encompassing 144 dunams, is a purely Islamic place of worship, and that the administration of Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs under the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is the legally authorized entity exclusively responsible for managing the affairs of the Noble Sanctuary and regulating entry into it.
The ministers called on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately stop closing the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Noble Sanctuary and to remove the restrictions imposed on access to the Old City of Jerusalem, and to refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers' access to the mosque. They also called on the international community to take a firm stance that obliges Israel to stop 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.
