ISLAMABAD, Mar 31 (DNA):The foreign ministers of eight Islamic nations strongly condemned and rejected the continued restrictions imposed by Israel on the freedom of worship for Muslims and Christians in occupied Jerusalem.The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in a joint statement, condemned the prevention of Muslim worshippers from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the prevention of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass.
They renewed their condemnation and rejection of any Israeli attempts to alter the legal and historical status quo at Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
“These continued Israeli measures constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as of the legal and historical status quo, and represent an infringement on the unrestricted right of access to places of worship,” they viewed.
The ministers affirmed their absolute rejection of the 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 rites.
They stressed the necessity of respecting the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem and its Muslim and Christian holy sites, reiterating that Israel, as the occupying power, held no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem, and underscoring the need to halt all measures that impeded worshippers’ access to their places of worship in Jerusalem.
The foreign ministers of the Muslim nations renewed their condemnation of Israel’s continued closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif to worshippers for 30 consecutive days including during the holy month of Ramadan, and the restriction of freedom of worship, which constituted a serious violation of international law, the existing legal and historical status quo, and Israel’s obligations as the occupying Power.
They warned of the dangers of these escalatory measures to regional and international peace and security.
The ministers reiterated that the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram Al-Sharif, amounting to 144 dunams, was a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, was the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction to administer the affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and regulate entry thereto.
They called on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately cease the closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram Al-Sharif, remove access restrictions in the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the mosque.
They also called on the international community to adopt a firm position that compelled 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 holy places.
