Pakistan condemns storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces

Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

The reaction comes a day after far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed East Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque compound, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The report quoted the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem as saying that the minister toured the mosque’s courtyards, entering through the Mughrabi Gate and proceeding to the Chain Gate before returning via the same route, amidst a heavy deployment of occupation police.

“He has stormed the mosque approximately 14 times since assuming his position in 2023, as part of an escalating policy towards the mosque,” the report said.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the FO said, “Pakistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces.”

It noted that the “reprehensible act constitutes a direct assault on the sanctity and historical character of the holy site” as well as being a “violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions”.

“Pakistan categorically rejects all attempts by the Israeli occupying authorities to alter or undermine the established religious, historical and legal status of the Al Aqsa Mosque,” the FO said, calling upon the international community to take urgent and effective measures to prevent such provocations.

The FO reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering and principled support for the just cause of the Palestinian people, including their inalienable right to self- determination.

It also reiterated the country’s support for the “establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous state of Palestine, based on the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital”.

It is pertinent to mention that for the first time since 1967, Al Aqsa Mosque was closed at the end of Ramazan, with tensions rising among Palestinians as Israeli authorities keep the complex shut.

Since Israel and the United States started a war on Iran on Feb 28, Israeli authorities closed access to Jerusalem’s holy sites over security concerns — Al Aqsa Mosque for Muslims, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and the Western Wall for Jews.