Türkiye and other Arab and Muslim countries agreed on Aug. 5 to establish a permanent mechanism to document what they described as Israeli violations in occupied East Jerusalem and at its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan represented Türkiye at the meeting in Amman, hosted by Jordan and attended by members of an Arab League ministerial committee as well as representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan.
The joint statement said the mechanism would include a media platform and present documented violations to international organizations and the wider public.
The ministers also called for a joint meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League during the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.
Participants condemned attempts to alter the historic and legal status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and reaffirmed their support for Jordan’s custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Jordan convened the meeting after warning of what it called an imminent threat to the status of Al-Aqsa, amid increased entries by Israeli settlers and officials under police protection.
“Tampering with the status quo ... could trigger a religious conflict that will reverberate beyond Palestine and Jordan into the whole Muslim world,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said ahead of the meeting.
Under longstanding arrangements, the Jordanian-administered Islamic Waqf oversees the compound, while Israel controls access and security. Non-Muslims may visit the site, but only Muslims are permitted to pray there.
The Palestinian-run Jerusalem Governorate said 9,848 settlers entered the compound during July, with one of the largest such gatherings taking place on July 23 and involving Israeli ministers and lawmakers.
