8 Islamic nations slam Israel for continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan

Amid the rising tensions in West Asia, eight Arab nations have condemned Israel's continued closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It has been 12th consecutive days since the mosque, popular in the Arab world, has remained closed. The eight nations condemning Israel are: Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

In a joint statement published on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of the eight Arab and Islamic countries said Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access to the old city of Jerusalem and its places of worship constituted a “flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, the historical and legal status quo, and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship”.

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“The Ministers affirmed their absolute rejection and condemnation of this illegal and unjustified measure, as well as Israel’s continued provocative actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and against worshippers. They stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” the statement further read.

'The mosque was exclusively for Muslims'

In the statement, the nations maintained that the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque was “exclusively” for Muslims and that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the “legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction”.

“The Ministers called on Israel, as the occupying Power, to immediately cease the closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, remove access restrictions to the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the mosque,” the statement said, urging the international community to compel Israel to stop its “ongoing violations”.

It is pertinent to note that the Israeli forces have imposed strict restrictions on worshippers and access to the Old City, citing “security” measures as a result of the ongoing war against Iran. However, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said the continued closure emphasised the policies were a “blatant violation of Palestinian rights”, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, also condemned the continued closure of the mosque. On Tuesday, it said that the closure sets a “dangerous historical precedent” and a “blatant violation” of the freedom of worship.