In a joint statement, eight Arab countries condemned Israel’s actions at Jerusalem’s holy sites, calling them “provocations” and violations of international law.
Eight Arab and Muslim-majority countries condemned what they called Israel’s “repeated violations” of the status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites in a joint statement on Thursday.
The respective foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt expressed their condemnation of “repeated violations and legal status quo in Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites by Israeli occupation authorities.”
The eight ministers highlighted what they called “the continued incursions by Israeli settlers and extremist ministers into al-Aqsa Mosque/al-Haram al-Sharif [Temple Mount] under Israeli police protection, as well as the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards.”
‘Unacceptable provocation to Muslims worldwide’
They also called these “provocative actions” a “flagrant violation of international law,” adding that they represent “an unacceptable provocation to Muslims around the world, and a flagrant violation of the sanctity of the holy city.”
The ministers stressed the importance of “preserving the status quo,” and “recognizing the special role of the historic Hashemite custodianship in this regard.”
Additionally, the statement denounced the “accelerating illegal settlement activity, including Israel’s decision to approve over 30 new settlements.”
It also “condemned the continued and escalating settler violence against Palestinians.”
Earlier this week, most of the ministers were also signatories in a joint statement, along with other countries, reproaching Israel’s announcement that it is set to send a diplomatic envoy to Somaliland.