Arab nations condemn Ben-Gvir's provocative incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan have condemned an incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir alongside groups of illegal Jewish settlers under Israeli police protection.

Qatar denounced the raid as "an unacceptable provocation" against Muslims worldwide that risks fuelling regional instability, while Saudi Arabia condemned the incursion in the strongest terms, urging the international community to halt unlawful Israeli practices.

Kuwait's Foreign Ministry described Ben-Gvir's raid as a "provocative act" and a breach of international humanitarian law, reiterating calls for an independent Palestinian state along 1967 borders with East Jerusalem, which is under Israeli occupation, as its capital.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry characterised the raid as "a blatant violation of the existing historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa and a desecration of its sanctity."

Amman warned against Israeli attempts to impose new realities or divide the site temporally and spatially, reiterating that the entire 14.4-hectare (144-dunum) compound is an exclusively Muslim place of worship administered solely by the Jordan-affiliated Jerusalem Islamic Waqf.

The high-level condemnation came as 992 illegal Israeli settlers entered the compound ahead of the Jewish observance of Yom Kippur, amid warnings that such intrusions have surged during holiday periods.

Netanyahu tunnel tour denounced

Separately, Palestinian resistance group Hamas condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's entry into excavation sites beneath the site.

Netanyahu's incursion "into the tunnels and excavation sites beneath the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Al-Buraq Wall, accompanied by provocative statements, constitutes a flagrant assault on its identity and status," Hamas stated.

"Al-Aqsa Mosque – in its entirety including its courtyards, prayer halls, walls and gates – will remain an exclusively Islamic Mosque," the group emphasised, adding that excavations and Biblical narratives "will never succeed in altering the site's identity."

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Source: TRT