Jerusalem, MINA – Jordan and Qatar strongly condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, calling it a serious provocation and a clear breach of international law and the established status quo in Jerusalem, Anadolu Agency reported.
Ben-Gvir entered Islam’s third-holiest site to mark Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967. His actions triggered widespread outrage, especially in the Muslim world.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry labeled the intrusion as a “flagrant violation” of the mosque’s historical and legal status and emphasized that Israel, as an occupying power, holds no sovereignty over East Jerusalem. The statement reaffirmed that such actions will not alter the city’s occupied status under international law.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a similar statement, condemning the act as part of “ongoing Israeli attempts to alter the religious and historical status quo” and called it “a provocation to more than two billion Muslims worldwide.”
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The ministry further warned that Israel’s escalatory policies, including its ongoing war in Gaza, threaten to ignite broader regional instability and undermine the path to a two-state solution.
Ben-Gvir was accompanied by other Israeli officials, including Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Knesset member Yitzhak Kroizer. This marked his seventh intrusion into the site since joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in 2022.
According to the Islamic Endowment Department in Jerusalem, over 2,092 Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa compound under heavy police protection throughout the day, with many performing provocative rituals in its courtyards. An additional 665 settlers entered after midday prayers.
Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Israel has imposed severe access restrictions on Palestinians from the West Bank entering East Jerusalem. These moves are seen by Palestinians as efforts to Judaize the area and erase its Arab and Islamic identity. []
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