Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 23
Eight Muslim Nations Condemn 4,200 Settlers' Al-Aqsa Incursion as Ben-Gvir Enters Site
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 23

Eight Muslim Nations Condemn 4,200 Settlers' Al-Aqsa Incursion as Ben-Gvir Enters Site

3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 23

Summary

  • A joint statement by Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and the UAE denounced the entry of more than 4,200 Israeli settlers and far-right activists into the Al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem.
  • The ministers said the incursion—led by extremist Israeli ministers and protected by Israeli police—was a provocative attempt to change the site's historical and legal status quo and to obstruct a two-state peace.
  • Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's far-right national security minister, also entered the compound during Tisha B'Av, while Palestinian officials said Israeli forces blocked many worshippers and students and assaulted several people.
  • The eight countries said Israel has no sovereignty over occupied East Jerusalem, demanded immediate removal of access restrictions at Al-Aqsa, and urged international pressure to halt violations at Jerusalem's holy sites.

Insights

An Israeli minister joined the incursions. Does this signal a permanent policy shift for Jerusalem's holy sites?
After the ICJ ruled Israel's occupation illegal, why are state-protected incursions at Al-Aqsa escalating?
Jordan is the official custodian of Al-Aqsa. Why is its authority now being so openly defied?