Indonesia, Arab nations condemn Israel over Al-Aqsa mosque actions
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono and his counterparts from seven Arab and Muslim-majority nations have strongly condemned Israel's recent escalations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.
In a joint statement published by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry on X, Friday, diplomats from Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates united to denounce ongoing mass incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound by Israeli settlers—noting that the acts were actively led by extremist Israeli government ministers.
“These provocative and unacceptable actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions and the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem,” the foreign ministers stated.
The coalition expressed deep regret over what it termed illegal and extreme acts of incitement, calls for mobilization and violence carried out by Israeli officials and radical groups.
Such actions, the ministers warned, fuel hatred, exacerbate extremism and directly obstruct efforts to advance a just and lasting peace on the basis of the Two-State Solution.
Furthermore, the foreign ministers asserted that Israel’s restrictions on access to Jerusalem's Old City 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 of international law.
They reiterated that Israel, as an occupying power, holds no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Reaffirming long-standing international consensus, the statement stressed that the entire 144-dunam area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound remains an exclusive place of worship for Muslims.
It also underscored the crucial role of the Hashemite Custodianship in maintaining the historical integrity of the city's holy places.
“The ministers called on Israel, as the occupying Power, to immediately remove access restrictions to the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the Mosque,” it stated.
The eight-nation group also called on the international community to take a firm stance that compels 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.
