Cairo, March 15 (QNA) - The Arab League Council at the ministerial level has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation authorities' continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers, preventing them from performing prayers and religious rites there, especially during the holy month of Ramadan and its last ten nights.

In a statement issued today regarding the Israeli occupation authorities' closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the undermining of freedom of worship and access to it, the Council considered this provocative measure a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, as well as the existing legal and historical status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It also deemed it an unprecedented provocation of the feelings of two billion Muslims worldwide and an undermining of freedom of worship and unrestricted access to places of worship.

The Council affirmed the Arab League member states' absolute rejection and condemnation of this illegal and unjustified measure, which uses the current events in the region as a pretext. It also condemned the Israeli authorities' continued provocative actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque and against worshippers, stressing that Israel, the occupying power, has no sovereignty over the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967, including occupied Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

In this regard, the Council emphasized its absolute rejection of all illegal decisions and measures by the occupying authorities aimed at altering the demographic, legal, and historical status and identity of Jerusalem, which is Arab, Islamic, and Christian. It affirmed the sovereignty of the State of Palestine over the entirety of East Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine.

The Council affirmed the importance of the historical Hashemite custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, their protection, and the preservation of their Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity, as well as the existing historical and legal status quo. It emphasized that Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its entire area of ​​144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims. The Council further affirmed that the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the sole legal authority with exclusive jurisdiction over the administration of the Mosque and the regulation of entry to it. Israel, the occupying power, has no right to take any measures that prevent Muslims from performing their religious duties there, as such actions only exacerbate the conflict and have serious repercussions for regional and international peace and security.

The member states of the League of Arab States emphasized the importance of the role of the Al-Quds Committee and the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency, the Committee's executive arm, and expressed their support for all the Committee's efforts. They called upon the international community, including the Security Council, to assume its responsibilities and adopt a firm international stance that compels Israel, as the occupying power, to cease its ongoing violations and illegal and illegitimate practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, including violations of the sanctity of holy places, and to respect the right to freedom of worship and the historical and legal status of the city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

In this regard, they also demanded the immediate cessation of the closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers, the lifting of all restrictions imposed on Palestinian access to Jerusalem, respect for their freedom of worship, and adherence to relevant United Nations resolutions. (QNA)