Cairo: The Arab League Council at the ministerial level has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation authorities' continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers, preventing them from performing prayers and religious rites there, especially during the holy month of Ramadan and its last ten nights.
According to Qatar News Agency, in a statement issued today concerning the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli authorities and the undermining of freedom of worship and access, the Council labeled this action a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law. It also stated that this action disrupts the existing legal and historical status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque and provokes the sentiments of two billion Muslims worldwide.
The Council emphasized the Arab League member states' absolute rejection and condemnation of this measure, which they consider illegal and unjustified. It criticized the Israeli authorities' continued provocative actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque and against worshippers, asserting that Israel, the occupying power, holds no sovereignty over the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967, including occupied Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
The Council reiterated its outright rejection of all illegal decisions and measures by the occupying authorities aimed at altering the demographic, legal, and historical status and identity of Jerusalem, which it affirms is Arab, Islamic, and Christian. It declared the sovereignty of the State of Palestine over the entirety of East Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine.
Furthermore, the Council underscored the significance of the historical Hashemite custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, their protection, and the preservation of their Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity, as well as the existing historical and legal status quo. It highlighted that Al-Aqsa Mosque, encompassing an area of 144 dunams, is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims. The Council affirmed that the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the sole legal authority with exclusive jurisdiction over the administration of the Mosque and the regulation of entry to it.
The member states of the League of Arab States highlighted the importance of the role of the Al-Quds Committee and the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency, the Committee's executive arm, and expressed their support for all the Committee's efforts. They called upon the international community, including the Security Council, to assume its responsibilities and adopt a firm international stance that compels Israel, as the occupying power, to cease its ongoing violations and illegal practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
In conclusion, they demanded the immediate cessation of the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque gates to worshippers, the lifting of all restrictions imposed on Palestinian access to Jerusalem, respect for their freedom of worship, and adherence to relevant United Nations resolutions.