Pakistan, along with seven other countries, has strongly condemned restrictions imposed by Israel on freedom of worship for Muslims and Christians in occupied Jerusalem, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday.
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In a joint statement issued with Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, foreign ministers rejected what they described as “illegal and restrictive measures” targeting access to key religious sites.
The restrictions include limiting Muslim worshippers’ access to Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram Al-Sharif, as well as preventing Christian leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to conduct Palm Sunday services.
The statement termed these actions a “flagrant violation of international law” and an infringement on the fundamental right to worship. It emphasized the need to maintain the legal and historical status quo of Jerusalem’s religious sites and reiterated that Israel, as an occupying power, holds no sovereignty over the city.
The ministers also condemned the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s gates for 30 consecutive days, including during Ramazan, warning that such measures could escalate tensions and threaten regional and international peace.
They stressed that the administration of Al-Aqsa Mosque falls under the jurisdiction of the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and called on Israel to immediately lift restrictions, reopen access to the Old City, and ensure unhindered entry for worshippers.
The joint statement further urged the international community to take a firm stance to halt what it described as ongoing violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Recent incidents include Israeli authorities preventing Christian clergy from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday and unprecedented restrictions on access to Al-Aqsa Mosque, including limits on the number of worshippers during Ramazan.
