Eight countries condemn attacks on Christian and Islamic holy sites in Israel
The foreign ministers of eight countries called the participation of Israeli politicians in the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque an attempt to undermine peace in the region.
The foreign ministers of eight states issued a joint statement sharply condemning the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and encroachments on religious sites in Jerusalem. This was reported by Al Jazeera.
The diplomats described the actions of Israeli settlers as an illegal attempt to change the historical status of holy sites and called on the international community to stop violations of the rights of believers.
The joint document was signed by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE. The statement emphasizes that the mass incursions by settlers, led by Israeli ministers, "inflame hatred and extremism." The diplomats particularly noted that Israel "has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites."
The occasion for the statement was a large-scale event on July 23, 2026, when Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under police escort. The incursion was led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The authors of the statement demanded that Israel immediately lift all restrictions on access to the mosque and cease the violence. The document notes that the shift from attacks by individual extremist groups to their support at the governmental level represents a "dangerous shift" in state policy that undermines efforts to achieve peace.
As the Union of Orthodox Journalists reported, Israel is advancing a law on control over the holy sites of biblical Samaria.
