Lebanon: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned a visit by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.
According to Qatar News Agency, the OIC issued a statement from its headquarters in Makkah describing the visit, which took place under Israeli police protection, as a "blatant assault" and a deliberate provocation to Muslims worldwide. The organization further criticized the raising of the Israeli flag and provocative religious practices carried out within the compound's courtyards.
The OIC reiterated its long-standing position that Israel, as an occupying power, holds no sovereignty over the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites. The organization stated that all Israeli measures and actions in Jerusalem were "null and void" under international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
The organization held Israel responsible for the dangerous consequences of repeated violations at the holy site, warning that attempts to alter the historical and legal status of Jerusalem's sacred places risk fueling further violence and instability in the region.