EU peace envoy calls for maintaining status quo at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The EU Middle East peace envoy on Tuesday called for maintaining the status quo at East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

Tension escalated across the Palestinian territories early Tuesday when Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa complex despite warnings that it could stoke tension.

The EU’s Sven Koopmans tweeted that the "internationally agreed" status quo on the holy sites in Jerusalem along with Jordan's custodianship over these sites "are essential to regional peace, stability and the equilibrium between the major religions in Jerusalem."

The status quo allows Muslims to worship at the Al-Aqsa complex and followers of other religions to visit the site.

Ben-Gvir’s visit triggered a storm of Palestinian and international condemnations, including from the US, Jordan, Türkiye, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

In the face of growing condemnations of the visit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he is committed to the status quo at the flashpoint site.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar