Jeddah: The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by officials from the Israeli occupation government, accompanied by more than 3,000 settlers and under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the OIC General Secretariat said the incursion was a blatant and flagrant violation of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and a provocation of Muslims and people around the world.
The General Secretariat warned that the incursion, along with calls to mobilize larger numbers of extremist settlers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the increased military presence, restrictions on worshippers' access, and the performance of religious rituals and chants during the incursions, poses a serious threat and risks fueling religious tensions in the region.
It stated that the repeated incursions are part of a systematic Israeli occupation policy aimed at imposing new realities at Al-Aqsa Mosque and undermining its established status quo, as part of efforts to Judaize Jerusalem and its holy sites.
The OIC reaffirmed that the entire 144-dunam Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a Muslim place of worship, and that any unilateral measures or attempts to alter its status constitute an assault on its historical and legal status.
It also stressed that all Israeli measures aimed at changing the historical, demographic, and legal character of Jerusalem are null and void under international law and relevant UN resolutions, adding that East Jerusalem remains an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.
The General Secretariat called on the international community and its institutions to take immediate action to halt these violations, ensure freedom of worship in occupied Jerusalem, and hold the Israeli occupation government accountable for its crimes and violations.
