Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned a visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and a group of Jews under Israeli police protection.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry described the raid as “a blatant violation of the existing historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa and a desecration of its sanctity.”
The ministry said it firmly rejected and condemned raids by Israeli ministers and officials accompanied by Jewish groups as well as the facilitation of such actions by Israeli police.
It called the measures “a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law” and warned against attempts to impose new realities or divide the mosque temporally and spatially.
Jordan also said that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or Muslim and Christian holy sites there and urged the international community to pressure Israel to halt violations.
It reiterated that the entire 144-dunum Al-Aqsa compound is a Muslim place of worship and that the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf affiliated with Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places is the sole legal authority responsible for its administration and access.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry similarly described Ben-Gvir’s visit with a group of Jews under police protection as “a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law and a provocative act.”
It called for international action to end such violations and reiterated its support for Palestinian rights, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry called the raid “a blatant violation and an unacceptable provocation” against the feelings of millions of Muslims worldwide.
It said unilateral measures targeting the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites are null and void under international law and warned that continued provocations could fuel further violence and undermine regional stability.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the raid in the strongest terms, calling it “a blatant violation and provocation for Muslims around the world.”
It rejected provocative and unlawful actions by Israeli officials and called on the international community to uphold its responsibility to stop violations of international and humanitarian law.
Separately, 992 Israeli occupiers entered the compound ahead of Yom Kippur, one of Judaism’s major religious observances.
Palestinian and Jordanian authorities have repeatedly warned against attempts to alter the status quo at Al-Aqsa or impose temporal and spatial divisions at the site. Such visits have increased in recent years, particularly during Jewish holidays.
Hamas condemns Netanyahu’s illegal entry
Separately, in a statement on social media, the Palestinian group Hamas condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s illegal entry into the Islamic holy site.
Netanyahu’s incursion “into the tunnels and excavation sites beneath the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Al-Buraq Wall, accompanied by provocative statements, constitutes a flagrant assault on its identity and status,” it said.
“Al-Aqsa Mosque – in its entirety including its courtyards, prayer halls, walls and gates – will remain an exclusively Islamic mosque,” the group emphasized.
Hamas also pointed to what it described as evidence of the site’s Islamic identity.
“This is an established fact: the occupation’s excavations, incursions, rituals and attempts to impose its Biblical narrative will never succeed in altering the site’s identity – or obliterating its landmarks,” it said.
