Jerusalem: The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has openly condemned the recent storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by thousands of settlers. This large-scale incursion, the biggest in months, saw over 3,228 settlers entering the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, led by extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, under the protection of occupation forces. This event coincided with the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple and included the performance of Talmudic rituals and the raising of occupation authorities' flags, which the ministry views as a direct attempt to alter the mosque's Islamic identity and contravene the established historical and legal status. According to Union of OIC News Agencies, the ministry has warned against the occupation's plans to institutionalize Talmudic rituals within Al-Aqsa Mosque and to disrupt its historical and legal status. The ministry cited actions such as providing increased support and protection for the intruders, creating barriers for Muslim worshippers, and allowing Talmudic ritu als and flags within the mosque's courtyards as attempts to impose illegal facts on the ground and enforce a temporal and spatial division of the Holy Sanctuary. The ministry emphasized that the entirety of Al-Aqsa Mosque, spanning 144 dunams, is designated exclusively for Muslim worship. It declared that Israel holds no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly Jerusalem, and that all measures undertaken are null, void, and in violation of international law and United Nations resolutions, notably Security Council resolutions 476 and 478. The ministry reiterated that the State of Palestine maintains sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. Furthermore, the ministry called upon the international community, including relevant states, organizations, and international bodies, to uphold their legal and moral responsibilities. It urged them to take concrete and binding actions beyond mere condemnations to halt these violations, increase international p resence on the ground, and ensure respect for the historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The ministry also emphasized the importance of preventing restrictions on Muslim and Christian access to their worship sites in the Holy City and stopping the imposition of new colonial realities by force.
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