UPDATE - Arab countries denounce extremist Israeli minister’s raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem

UPDATES WITH MORE COUNTRIES, REVISED HEADLINE, AND LEDE

By Laith Al-jnaidi and Betul Yilmaz

AMMAN/ISTANBUL (AA) – Arab countries on Wednesday condemned an intrusion by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reiterated the kingdom’s strongest denunciation of the continued assaults on the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

It rejected all actions undermining the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites, and called on the international community “to hold the Israeli occupation authorities accountable for their grave and ongoing violations against Islamic holy sites and innocent civilians in the State of Palestine.”

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry also called Ben-Gvir’s intrusion "a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, a condemnable escalation, and an unacceptable provocation.”

"Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” the ministry said.

It warned of "the consequences of the continued provocative and illegal violations of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem,” and called on Israel to stop all provocative practices by extremist officials.

A statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry “strongly” condemned the raids and warned that “the continuation of such violations against the Palestinian people and their Islamic and Christian holy sites will lead to an end to the cycle of violence in the region.”

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also slammed the Israeli action and considered these incursions “aimed to consolidate the temporal and spatial division of the mosque.”

It stressed that Ben-Gvir “is seeking to thwart international efforts, including President Trump's efforts, to halt the Israeli aggression and war against our people in Gaza.”

Ben-Gvir, leading 1,300 illegal Israeli settlers, entered the holy mosque’s courtyards on Wednesday morning, carried out provocative tours, and performed Talmudic rituals coinciding with the second day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, according to witnesses and the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem.

Incursions into the mosque compound typically escalate during Jewish holidays, and visits by ministers and members of the Knesset take place with the approval of the Israeli prime minister following requests submitted for that purpose.

The incursions into Al-Aqsa have increased alongside Israel's genocidal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, as well as military operations in the occupied West Bank.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming 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.