- MoFA describes incident as blatant violation of international law
- OIC calls the move a deliberate provocation to Muslims worldwide
Qatar condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israel's extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir , as well as the provocative actions and violations committed by settlers under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, including restrictions on worshipers' access to the mosque.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the incident as a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and an unacceptable provocation to the sentiments of millions of Muslims around the world.
The ministry also warned that such actions represent a dangerous attempt to alter the historical and legal status quo in occupied Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites. The ministry stressed that Al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, affirming that all unilateral measures aimed at changing the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites are null and void under international law.
It warned that continued violations and provocations would further fuel violence and instability in the region and undermine efforts to restore calm and stability. The ministry renewed Qatar's call on the international community to take urgent action to compel Israel, as the occupying power, to halt its ongoing violations against the Palestinian people and their holy sites, and to comply with relevant international resolutions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reiterated Qatar's firm support for the Palestinian cause and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, based on ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights, foremost among them the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned a visit by Israel's far-right National Security Minister to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.
In a statement issued from its headquarters in Makkah, the OIC described the visit, which took place under Israeli police protection, as a "blatant assault" and a deliberate provocation to Muslims worldwide.
The organization also criticised the raising of the Israeli flag and what it described as provocative religious practices carried out within the compound's courtyards. The OIC reiterated its long-standing position that Israel, as an occupying power, holds no sovereignty over the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
