Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar

The Foreign Ministers of the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Turkey, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the State of Qatar condemn the Israeli occupation authorities’ continued closure of the doors of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif to Muslim worshipers, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

The security restrictions imposed on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship, along with the discriminatory and arbitrary restrictions imposed on access to other places of worship in the Old City, constitute a flagrant violation of international and international humanitarian law, the existing historical and legal situation, and the principle of unrestricted freedom of access to places of worship.

The ministers affirmed their absolute rejection and condemnation of these illegal and unjustified measures, and Israel’s continued provocative practices in Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif and against worshipers. They stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The ministers reaffirmed that the entire area of ​​Al-Aqsa Mosque/the Noble Sanctuary, amounting to 144 dunams, is a pure place of worship for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department of the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments, Islamic Affairs and Holy Sanctities is the legal body with exclusive jurisdiction to manage the affairs of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/the Noble Sanctuary and regulate entry to it.

The Ministers called on Israel, in its capacity as the occupying power, to stop immediately closing the doors of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and not to obstruct worshipers’ access to the mosque, to lift the restrictions imposed on access to the Old City of Jerusalem, and to refrain from obstructing Muslim worshipers’ access to the mosque.

They also called on the international community to take a firm stance obligating Israel to stop its continued violations and illegal practices against the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and its violations of the sanctity of these holy places.