Pakistan, seven other Muslim countries, condemn Israel’s closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque gates

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram Al-Sharif to Muslim worshippers, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday.

During the holy month of Ramazan, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque — Islam’s third-holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed.

The FO statement posted to X, dated March 11, said, “Security restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship coupled with discriminatory and arbitrary access restrictions to the other places of worship in the old city constitute 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.”

According to the statement, the ministers affirmed their “absolute rejection and condemnation” of the measure, calling it “illegal and unjustified”.

They also stressed that Israel did not have sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

“The ministers reiterated that the entire area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque … is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims,” the FO said, adding that the only legal entity with the jurisdiction to regulate entry to the Mosque was the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department.

They called on Israel to immediately cease the closure of the gates and remove access restrictions to the Old City of Jerusalem, as well as to refrain from obstructing access to the mosque.

They also called on the international community to “adopt a firm position,” forcing Israel to halt its ongoing “violations and illegal practices” against religious sites in Jerusalem.

The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint. Under long-standing arrangements, Jewish people may visit the compound, but are not permitted to pray there. While Israel says it is committed to maintaining this status quo, Palestinians fear it is being eroded.

Last month, Israel had imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the mosque, and capped the number of worshippers at 10,000 during Ramazan. Israeli police also deployed around the mosque in force.

The Israeli authorities also imposed age restrictions on West Bank Palestinians, permitting entry only to men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to age 12.