Amman, April 21 (Petra) -- The Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs on Tuesday decried the continued incursions by extremist settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound, the latest of which took place earlier in the day, accompanied by what it described as provocative and unacceptable practices.

In a statement, the ministry said settlers raised Israeli flags within the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, alongside what it described as arbitrary actions by Israeli police, stressing that these practices constitute a flagrant violation of international law and the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites.

Official spokesperson Fuad Majali reaffirmed Jordan’s absolute rejection and strong condemnation of the repeated incursions and accompanying provocations, describing them as inciting acts aimed at imposing new realities at the holy site through attempts to divide it temporally and spatially. He also stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem.

Majali warned of the consequences of the continued violations and provocations, urging the international community to adopt a firm stance obligating Israel, as the occupying power, to halt all irresponsible practices and ongoing violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and to stop unilateral measures in the occupied West Bank.

He reiterated that Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its full area of 144 dunums, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Awqaf (Endowments) Department, affiliated with Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the sole legal authority responsible for managing the site and regulating access.

//Petra// NQ