For the past 12 days, Israel has closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and restricted movement in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Posted on March 12, 2026
Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Turkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates condemned Israel’s continued closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for the twelfth consecutive day.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of the eight Arab and Islamic countries said that Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access to the old city of Jerusalem and its places of worship constituted a “flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, the historical and legal status quo and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship.”
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“The Ministers affirmed their absolute rejection and condemnation of this illegal and unjustified measure, as well as Israel’s continued provocative actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif and against worshipers. They stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” the statement read.
The statement added that the entire Al-Aqsa Mosque area was “exclusively” for Muslims and that the Department of Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the “legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction.”
“The Ministers called on Israel, as the occupying Power, to immediately cease the closure of the doors of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, remove restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and to refrain from obstructing the access of Muslim worshipers to the mosque,” the statement said, calling on the international community to force Israel to end its “ongoing violations.”
Israeli forces have imposed strict restrictions on worshipers and access to the Old City, citing “security” measures as a result of the ongoing war against Iran.
But the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the continued closure emphasized that the policies were a “flagrant violation of Palestinian rights,” the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Hamas also condemned the continued closure, saying Tuesday that it sets a “dangerous historical precedent” and a “flagrant violation” of religious freedom.
