Eight Arab, Islamic countries condemn Israeli closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque

"Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access to the old city of Jerusalem and its places of worship constituted a flagrant violation to international law, including international humanitarian law, the historical and legal status quo, and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship."

"The Ministers affirmed their absolute rejection and condemnation of this illegal and unjustified measure, as well as Israel's continued provocative actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and against worshippers. They stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites."

"The Ministers called on Israel, as the occupying Power, to immediately cease the closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, remove access restrictions to the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers' access to the mosque, calling on the international community to compel Israel to stop its ongoing violations."

Eight Arab and Islamic countries—Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates—have jointly condemned Israel's closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque for 12 consecutive days during Ramadan. Their foreign ministers issued a statement declaring the restrictions on Palestinian access to Jerusalem's Old City and its places of worship as flagrant violations of international law, humanitarian law, and the historical status quo. The ministers rejected Israel's security justifications and asserted that Israel holds no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites. They emphasized that Al-Aqsa Mosque is exclusively for Muslims under Jordanian religious authority jurisdiction. The statement demanded immediate cessation of the mosque closure, removal of access restrictions, and called upon the international community to compel Israel to end these violations.

Read at www.aljazeera.com