Saudi Foreign Ministry denounces Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa, calls for accountability
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Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Thursday condemned what it called “repeated provocative practices” by Israeli authorities at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.
The Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry accused Israeli officials of recent provocations, including an official entering the mosque courtyards under police protection and another raising an Israeli flag inside the compound. The statement, posted on X, called the actions a violation of the historical and legal status of Al-Quds and its holy sites.
The remarks followed visits to the compound this week by far-right Israeli ministers. On Thursday, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, entered the Al-Aqsa courtyards as thousands of Jewish nationalists marched through the Old City for Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s 1967 takeover of east Jerusalem. Earlier, Yitzhak Wasserlauf, minister for the Negev, Galilee and national resilience, toured the site and praised Ben-Gvir’s actions as a “revolution.” Both belong to the Otzma Yehudit party.
Saudi Arabia urged the international community to halt practices that breach international law and to hold Israeli authorities accountable for what it called ongoing violations against Islamic holy sites and civilians in the State of Palestine.