Eight Muslim countries condemn mass Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa
The foreign ministers of Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia have denounced recent Israeli settler incursions at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque as "illegal and extremist acts".
In a statement posted by Qatar's foreign ministry on X on Thursday, the ministers stressed that the storming of the holy sites constitute a "flagrant violation of international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historic and legal status quo at the holy sites in Occupied East Jerusalem".
"The ministers condemned in the strongest terms, in a joint statement, the illegal and extremist acts represented by incitement and calls to mobilise incursions, as well as acts of violence committed by Israeli ministers and extremist groups," they added.
They warned that such acts "fuel hatred and extremism, and obstruct efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution", and urged the recognition of Jordan's historic custodianship of the Al-Aqsa complex.
The officials also rejected Israel's claim over the Occupied East Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites as well as its attempt at to altering the "historical, legal, and demographic character" of the area.
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The statement follows a mass raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque by thousands of ultranationalist Israelis on Thursday, that was led by prominent ministers and lawmakers.
Among those taking part were Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's national security minister; Yitzhak Wasserlauf, minister for the Negev, Galilee and national resilience; and Amit Halevi, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party.
Ahead of the raids, Israeli forces barred many Palestinians from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque for pre-dawn prayers, forcing them to pray in nearby streets.
Al-Aqsa Mosque has been governed under a decades-long status quo, or international arrangement, preserving its religious status as an exclusively Islamic site.
Under arrangements reached after the 1967 war, Jordan and Israel agreed that the Islamic Waqf would administer internal affairs at the complex, while Israel would control external security.
Non-Muslims are permitted to visit the site during designated hours, but are not allowed to pray there.
The mosque has seen escalating settler raids in recent years, often conducted under military escort.
Middle East Eye previously reported that the US and Israel are "actively working" to strip Jordan of its historic custodianship of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
Under the proposed arrangement, revealed by MEE sources, management of the revered Muslim site will closely align with Israeli interests in the future.
US, Jordanian and Palestinian officials, as well as western and Gulf Arab sources, told MEE that under the plan, championed by Jared Kushner and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf would end and a new body created by the Israeli government would declare the Al-Aqsa Mosque a "multi-faith centre".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that this was the case, but did not affirm Jordan's custodianship.
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