Pakistan, along with seven other Muslim countries, on Tuesday condemned the “continued incursions by extremist Israeli settlers into Al Aqsa Mosque” in the strongest terms, calling for an immediate cessation of all such provocative practices.

According to a joint statement released by the Foreign Office (FO), the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates condemned “in the strongest terms the continued incursions by extremist Israeli settlers, into Al Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli forces, as well as the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards”.

“They stress that these provocative and unacceptable actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.

The FO added that the foreign ministers reaffirmed their “categorical rejection” of any attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and stressed the preservation of this status quo, while recognising the special role of the historical Hashemite custodianship in this regard.

“The foreign ministers reiterated that the entire area of Al Aqsa Mosque, which amounts to 144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction to administer the affairs of the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and to regulate entry thereto.”

Islamabad further stated that the foreign ministers of the aforementioned countries held Israeli authorities responsible for halting these escalatory actions and warned that “repeated Israeli violations exacerbate tensions, fuel instability and extremism, undermine international efforts to achieve peace, and constitute a clear breach of Israel’s obligations under international law”.

The Muslim and Arab countries called for an immediate cessation of all such “Israeli illegal and provocative practices” and reaffirmed the need to respect the historical and legal status quo at Al Aqsa Mosque in its entirety, the FO said.

“The foreign ministers reaffirm their unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their steadfast support for the realisation of their legitimate and inalienable national rights, foremost among them their right to self-determination and the realisation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the FO said.

They further reaffirmed their support for all efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with international law, the relevant UN resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, the FO concluded.

Earlier in April, Pakistan condemned in “strongest terms” the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound and the raising of Israel’s flag in its courtyard, terming the acts “reprehensible”.

The condemnation issued by the FO said “these reprehensible acts constitute a blatant violation of international law, as well as of the sanctity and inviolability of the holy site. Such provocative steps also risk further escalating tensions in the region”.