Early on Sunday, Israel’s far-right National Security
Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, shielded by Israeli police, led a large group of
illegal settlers in a provocative march and mass incursion into the Al-Aqsa
Mosque compound, coinciding with the Jewish commemoration of Tisha B’Av, Anadolu
Agency reported.
According to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, at least 1,251
illegal Israeli settlers stormed the mosque compound in the morning hours,
performing Talmudic rituals, singing, and dancing under heavy police
protection.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam after
Makkah and Madina. Under a delicate decades-old “status quo” arrangement with
Muslim authorities, the Al-Aqsa compound is administered by a Jordanian
religious foundation, and Jews can visit but may not pray there.
“This
sacrilege against one of Islam’s holiest sites is not only an affront to the
faith of over a billion Muslims but also a direct assault on international law
and the collective conscience of humanity,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
posted on X.
He said that such systematic provocations by the occupying
power, coupled with reckless calls for annexation, imperiled the prospects for
peace.
The prime minister said that Israel’s “shameless actions”
were deliberately inflaming tensions in Palestine and the wider region, pushing
the Middle East closer to further instability and conflict.
“Pakistan
reiterates its urgent call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to all acts of
aggression, and the revival of a credible peace process leading to an
independent and viable State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its
capital, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions,” Shehbaz
added.
The Foreign Office also issued a separate statement to
condemn the Israeli move.
“The presence and statements of senior Israeli officials,
and the repugnant declaration that ‘the Temple Mount is ours,’ are a dangerous
and deliberate attempt to provoke religious sentiments across the world,
escalate tensions, and alter the status of Al‑Aqsa Mosque,” the statement said.
It said that Israel’s expansionist attempts were a
deliberate effort to destabilize the region and sabotage any meaningful path to
peace.
“These provocations risk igniting a catastrophic spiral of
violence across the region.”
The
world must not remain silent in the face of such systemic, illegal, inhumane,
and unlawful aggression. Such actions constitute a blatant violation of
international human rights and humanitarian laws, the United Nations Charter, as
well as various UN and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Resolutions.
“We urge the international community, particularly the
United Nations, to take immediate and concrete steps to hold Israel accountable
for its illegal actions and to protect the religious sanctity of Al‑Aqsa Mosque
and the rights of the Palestinian people, in particular the right to self-determination.
“Pakistan
reaffirms its unwavering support for the creation of a sovereign, independent,
viable, and contiguous Palestinian State based on pre-June 1967 borders, with
Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
Pakistan has consistently raised its voice for the people of
Palestine, calling for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in
Gaza.
Last month, Pakistan urged the UNSC not to remain
“a bystander” amid the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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