Eight Nations Issue Joint Condemnation of Israeli Restrictions on Jerusalem Holy Sites

Last Updated on September 3, 2026 by Shitiz Srivastava

بيان مشترك لوزراء خارجية الإمارات والأردن وتركيا ومصر وإندونيسيا وباكستان والسعودية وقطرhttps://t.co/XFjIKIQZXY pic.twitter.com/ZL3KL5u7ku

— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) March 30, 2026

In a joint statement, the Foreign Ministers of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar called for an immediate end to “the increasing restrictions by Israel on access to Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.”

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The statement condemned the fact that Israel has closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Haram al-Sharif complex for the past 30 consecutive days during the holy month of Ramadan.

They were also outraged that the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land had been denied entry into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to perform Palm Sunday Mass.

These actions are considered by the ministers to be flagrant violations of both International Law and International Humanitarian Law and of the current historical and legal status quo regarding the holy sites in Jerusalem.

Furthermore, the ministers reaffirm that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a mosque exclusively for Muslims; therefore, it falls under the sole jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, which is affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf.

Therefore, the ministers urged Israel to open up immediately the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque and lift all other restrictions related to access.

In addition, they requested that the international community take responsibility for the continuous and blatant abuses committed by Israel against the sacredness of the holy places.