Indonesia condemns Israel's closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan
Jakarta — Indonesia, together with a number of Arab and Islamic countries, has strongly condemned the Zionist Israeli regime’s closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex and prohibition of worship activities at this sacred site during the month of Ramadan.
This was conveyed in a joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, published by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs via social media platform X.
“The Foreign Ministers emphasise their absolute rejection and strong condemnation of this illegal and unjustifiable step, as well as Israeli provocative actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif and against the worshippers,” according to the joint statement monitored in Jakarta on Thursday.
“They affirm that Israel has no sovereignty over the territory of Jerusalem that it occupies or over the holy sites of Muslims and Christians there,” the Foreign Ministers continued in their statement.
The ministers stressed that restricting access to the Old City of Jerusalem and places of worship within it, combined with the unilateral and discriminatory restrictions imposed by the Zionists at that location, constitutes a serious violation of international law.
This step also violates international humanitarian law, historical status quo and law, as well as the principle of full access rights to places of worship.
The Foreign Ministers affirmed that the entire Al-Aqsa Mosque complex is a place of worship for Muslims, and the Jerusalem Department of Endowments (Waqf) under the responsibility of Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is the legitimate entity with special rights to manage the Al-Aqsa Mosque, including the right to determine access.
They urged Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately cease the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque gates, revoke all restrictions on entry to the Old City of Jerusalem, and stop preventing Muslim worshippers from visiting the sacred mosque.
The ministers also called on the international community to take firm action to ensure that Zionist Israel ceases its violations of law and illegal practices against Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and ends the desecration of the sanctity of these places.
As reported by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, as of Wednesday (11 March), the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque had continued for eleven consecutive days.
The Zionist Israeli regime claims that the closure was implemented for security reasons related to its conflict with Iran.
The ongoing closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque throughout the final ten days of Ramadan represents a dangerous precedent.
This marks the first time that Tarawih prayers and I’tikaf (spiritual retreat) have been prohibited inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967.