Widespread Arab Condemnation of Settlers Raising Occupation Flags Inside Al-Aqsa Mosque

The blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque witnessed a new escalation, represented by dozens of settlers storming its courtyards under heavy protection from the Israeli occupation police. The intruders provocatively raised the Israeli flag in the courtyards of Al-Haram Al-Sharif, specifically in the eastern area and near the revered Dome of the Rock Mosque.

Videos and photos circulated on social media platforms documented settlers performing Talmudic rituals, silent prayers, and others aloud. Many of them also performed what is called 'epic prostration' on the ground, in a move aimed at establishing a new reality inside the mosque and challenging the feelings of worshippers and Muslims everywhere.

For its part, the State of Qatar expressed its strong condemnation of these practices, describing them as a blatant violation of international law and international legitimacy. The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed in a statement that these actions represent a provocation to the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world and reveal the occupation's intentions towards holy sites.

Doha stressed its categorical rejection of any attempts aimed at undermining the existing religious and historical status of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. It called on the international community to bear its moral and legal responsibilities towards the city of Jerusalem and to firmly confront repeated Israeli violations that undermine peace opportunities.

In a related context, Qatar reiterated its firm stance on the justice of the Palestinian cause and the right of the Palestinian people to practice their religious rituals with complete freedom. It pointed to the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its eternal capital.

In turn, the Arab Republic of Egypt condemned in the strongest terms the settlers' storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the raising of the Israeli flag under the protection of security forces. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry considered this escalation unacceptable and one that increases the state of tension and unrest in the region in general.

Cairo clarified that such violations disregard the rules of international law and international humanitarian law that protect holy sites in the occupied territories. It warned that these provocative steps could undermine all efforts aimed at restoring stability and calm in the Palestinian territories.

Egypt also affirmed its rejection of any unilateral measures aimed at changing the Arab and Islamic identity of the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites. It stressed the need to preserve the existing legal and historical status of Islamic and Christian holy sites alike, without any interference from the occupation authorities.

In the Jordanian capital, Amman, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the raising of Israeli flags in Al-Aqsa as an unacceptable incitement aimed at imposing new realities. Official sources confirmed that these repeated incursions constitute a flagrant violation of Israel's international obligations as an occupying power.

Jordan warned of the dire consequences of the continuation of these provocations aimed at dividing Al-Aqsa Mosque temporally and spatially between Muslims and Jews. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry indicated that these absurd practices by the Israeli police and settlers threaten to ignite the situation in the entire region.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan reiterated that Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its total area of 144 dunams, is a pure place of worship for Muslims alone. It stressed that any attempt to claim Israeli sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem is null and void and has no legal effect under international resolutions.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry also pointed out that the Jerusalem Awqaf Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, is the sole authority responsible for managing the mosque's affairs. It clarified that regulating entry and exit and supervising all facilities of Al-Haram Al-Sharif falls within the exclusive powers of this administration under the historical status quo.

Jordan called on the international community to take a firm and clear stance obliging the occupation authorities to stop all their unilateral measures in Jerusalem and the West Bank. It demanded the necessity of providing international protection for the Palestinian people and their holy sites in the face of settler aggression and systematic Israeli policies.

These condemnations come at a time when warnings of an explosion in the field situation are increasing as a result of the continued daily incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestinian activists are calling for the necessity of Arab and international action that goes beyond condemnation statements to stop the violations targeting the identity of occupied Jerusalem.

The blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its full area of 144 dunams, is a pure place of worship for Muslims, and the Jerusalem Awqaf Department is the sole authority exclusively responsible for its administration.