ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries issued a joint statement on Thursday, rejecting any attempts to alter the historic and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

They condemned the “repeated violations of the historic and legal status quo at Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites by Israeli occupation authorities”.

They particularly deplored the continued incursions by Israeli settlers and “extremist ministers into Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif under Israeli police protection, as well as the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards”, said the joint statement from the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

“The ministers reiterated that these provocative actions at Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, constitute a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and represent an unacceptable provocation to Muslims around the world, and a flagrant violation to the sanctity of the holy city,” the statement read.

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

They reiterated that the “entire area of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Sharif, which amounts to 144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims”.

The ministers further condemned the “accelerating illegal settlement activity, including Israel’s decision to approve over 30 new settlements, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, including United Nations Security Council resolutions and the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice”.

They also condemned the continued and escalating settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including recent attacks on Palestinian schools and children, and called for those responsible to be held accountable, the statement said.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026