Ankara: Trkiye, Egypt, and six other Muslim-majority nations on Wednesday condemned Israel’s ongoing restrictions on access for Muslim worshippers to Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, calling for an immediate reversal of these actions. The foreign ministers from Trkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar released a joint statement addressing Israel’s violations in Jerusalem.

According to Anadolu Agency, the joint statement highlighted that security measures restricting access to Jerusalem’s Old City and its worship sites, alongside discriminatory access limitations, violate international law, including international humanitarian law and the historical and legal status quo. The statement urged the global community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to halt violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

The ministers expressed their unanimous rejection and condemnation of Israel’s measures, labeling them illegal and unjustified. They criticized Israel’s provocative actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and against worshippers, asserting that Israel holds no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement emphasized that the entire 144-dunam Al-Aqsa compound is solely a Muslim place of worship and confirmed that Jordan’s Waqf authority has exclusive jurisdiction over its administration and entry. It called on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately cease the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s gates, lift access restrictions to Jerusalem’s Old City, and stop obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the mosque.