Amman, March 30 (Petra)-- Foreign ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, and the Arab Republic of Egypt strongly condemned and rejected the ongoing Israeli restrictions on freedom of worship for Muslims and Christians in occupied Jerusalem.

These include preventing Muslim worshippers from accessing the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif and barring the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custodian of the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to hold Palm Sunday mass. The ministers reiterated their condemnation of and rejection of any Israeli attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

They affirmed that these ongoing Israeli measures constitute a blatant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as a breach of the historical and legal status quo and an infringement on the unrestricted right of access to places of worship.

The ministers stressed their absolute rejection of illegal and restrictive Israeli measures against Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem, including preventing Christians from freely accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to perform their religious rituals. They emphasized the need to respect the historical and legal status quo 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 need to halt all measures that obstruct worshippers’ access to their places of worship.

The ministers also condemned Israel’s continued closure of the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif to worshippers for 30 consecutive days, including during the holy month of Ramadan, and the imposition of restrictions on freedom of worship, which they said constitutes a serious violation of international law and the status quo, as well as Israel’s obligations as an occupying power. They warned of the risks posed by such escalatory measures to regional and international peace and security.

The ministers reaffirmed that the entire area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, measuring 144 dunams, is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims and that the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, is the sole legal authority responsible for administering the mosque and regulating access to it.

They called on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately stop closing the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif, remove restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the mosque. They also urged the international community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to halt its ongoing violations and illegal practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as its violations of the sanctity of these sites.

//Petra// AF