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AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif by the extremist Israeli minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
In a statement, the ministry denounced the incursion as a “blatant violation of international law”, describing it as an unacceptable provocation and a dangerous escalation that must be halted immediately by Israel, the occupying power.
Ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah reiterated the Kingdom’s unequivocal rejection and firm condemnation of the continued provocative incursions by Ben-Gvir, which he said threaten to inflame tensions and undermine regional stability.
Qudah also condemned the Israeli police for facilitating repeated intrusions into Al Aqsa Mosque, often accompanied by restrictions imposed on Palestinian worshippers. These actions, he said, represent a clear breach of the historical and legal status quo of the holy site and constitute an attempt to divide it both temporally and spatially, in violation of its sanctity.
He also emphasised that such provocations do not alter the legal and political status of East Jerusalem, which remains an occupied city with no Israeli sovereignty over it, in accordance with international law.
Qudah also stressed that these incursions are part of a broader Israeli policy aimed at escalating tensions throughout the occupied West Bank, storming Palestinian cities, and violating the sanctity of Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.
He also reiterated that Al Aqsa Mosque, encompassing the entire 144 dunum compound, is a place of worship reserved exclusively for Muslims. He stressed that the Jordan-run Jerusalem Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department is the sole legal authority responsible for managing the site and regulating entry, in accordance with international law and the established historical and legal status quo.