UAE, 7 states condemn Israeli restrictions on holy sites

These measures included preventing Muslim worshippers from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and barring the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass. They reiterated their condemnation and rejection of any Israeli attempts to alter the legal and historical status quo at Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

These ongoing Israeli measures constitute a blatant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as of the legal and historical status quo, and infringe upon the unrestricted right of access to places of worship.

The Ministers reaffirm their total rejection of the illegal and restrictive Israeli measures against Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem, including the prevention of Christians from freely accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to conduct their religious rites. They emphasised the importance of respecting the existing legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem and its Muslim and Christian holy sites, reaffirming that Israel, as the occupying Power, has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem, and emphasising the need to halt all measures that hinder worshippers’ access to their places of worship in Jerusalem.

The Ministers renewed their condemnation of Israel’s ongoing closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif to worshippers for 30 consecutive days, including during the holy month of Ramadan, and of the restrictions on freedom of worship, which constitute a serious breach of international law, the existing legal and historical status quo, and Israel’s obligations as the occupying Power. They warned of the dangers these escalating measures pose to regional and international peace and security.

The Ministers reaffirmed that the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, covering 144 dunams, is a place of worship solely for Muslims. They stated that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, which is affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the sole legal body authorised to oversee the affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif and to regulate entry.

The Ministers urged Israel, as the occupying Power, to immediately open the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, lift access restrictions in the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the mosque. They also called on the international community to adopt a firm stance that compels Israel to stop its ongoing violations and illegal practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as its breaches of their sanctity.