Al-Aqsa Mosque: eight Arab and Muslim countries denounce the closure imposed by Israel

Eight Arab and Muslim countries — Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates — have condemned the prolonged closure of the Al-Aqsa mosque by Israel in the middle of Ramadan. In a joint statement published Wednesday, the foreign ministers of these countries denounce an “illegal and unjustified” measure after twelve days of closure of the site and restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem. They believe that these measures constitute a “flagrant violation of international law”, as well as the historical status quo governing the holy sites.

The signatories also assert that Israel “has no sovereignty” over occupied East Jerusalem or its Muslim and Christian holy sites. They called on Israeli authorities to immediately reopen the doors of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and lift restrictions preventing Muslim worshipers from accessing it. Israel justifies these measures for security reasons linked to the regional context, in particular the ongoing war against Iran. For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounces a “flagrant violation of the rights of the Palestinian people”.

The closure of Al-Aqsa during Ramadan constitutes a particularly serious escalation. By obstructing access to Islam’s third holiest site in occupied territory, Israel is trampling not only on international law but also on the historical status quo that governs the holy sites of Jerusalem. This decision appears to be a brutal demonstration of domination and a new attempt to impose a fait accompli on a site at the heart of the religious and political sensitivity of the Muslim world. Far from being a simple security measure, this policy fuels anger, accentuates the humiliation of the Palestinians and further weakens the already very distant prospects of a just settlement of the conflict.