Türkiye and seven other Muslim-majority countries on March 11 condemned Israel’s restrictions on Muslim worshippers' access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, calling for the measures to be immediately reversed.
The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar issued a joint statement denouncing what they described as ongoing violations in Jerusalem.
"Security restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem 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 to international law, including international humanitarian law, the historical and legal status quo and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship," the statement said.
The ministers urged the international community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to halt violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
"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.
Noting that the entire 144-dunam compound is an exclusively Muslim place of worship, the statement said Jordan’s Waqf authority holds sole jurisdiction over its administration and entry.
"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," it stated.
Israel has tightened restrictions on Palestinians traveling from the occupied West Bank to East Jerusalem since the start of its war with Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Since 2003, Israeli authorities have also allowed Israeli settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa compound on a near-daily basis, with access typically suspended only on Fridays and Saturdays.
The mosque compound, located in Jerusalem’s Old City, is Islam’s third-holiest site. Jews refer to the same area as the Temple Mount, believed to be the location of two ancient Jewish temples.
