Minister condemns extremists’ storming of Al Aqsa Mosque

AMMAN — Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdul Nasser Abul Bassal has denounced the escalation by the Israeli occupation authorities after they allowed extremists, Knesset members and ministers to desecrate Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif and violate its sanctity, under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces, police and private forces, in addition to the storming of Al Haram Al Sharif by other extremist settlers.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on Monday, Abul Bassal stressed that the holy Al Aqsa Mosque is the property of Muslims alone, as declared by a divine decision confirmed in a Qur'anic text recited on the Day of Judgement. He noted that Al Aqsa Mosque consists of a 144-dunum land area which includes buildings, yards, terraces, the air above the ground and the area underground.

The minister called on Islamic and Arab countries to support Jordan and stand with it in facing the violations committed by the Israeli occupation. He urged the United Nations, the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and all those who "want to see peace in the world" to put pressure on the Israeli occupation to stop violating the sanctity of the immortal Islamic mosque, stressing that His Majesty King Abdullah, Custodian of the Holy Sites, repeatedly stressed Al Aqsa Mosque's indivisibility, calling it "a red line that shall never be crossed".