Amman, Oct. 14 (Petra) -- The Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs on Monday issued a strong condemnation of the Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif, as well as the continued incursions by Israeli extremists under police protection.

In a statement, the Ministry described the act as a blatant violation of the historical and legal status quo governing Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and a desecration of its sanctity. The statement further denounced the move as a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable provocation, stressing that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The Ministry’s spokesperson, Fouad Al-Majali, reaffirmed Jordan’s firm rejection of ongoing incursions by extremists, facilitated by Israeli occupation police, describing them as a flagrant breach of international law and international humanitarian law.

He warned that such actions represent attempts to impose new realities by force through the temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Majali cautioned against the serious consequences of continued provocations by Israeli extremists and government officials, calling on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately halt all violations and unilateral illegal measures that threaten to further escalate tensions in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories.

He reiterated that the entire 144-dunum Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and reaffirmed that the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, under Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, remains the sole legal authority responsible for managing the site and overseeing entry to it.

//Petra// RZ