Pakistan and Seven Muslim States Demand Immediate Halt to Israeli Actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Foreign ministers from eight Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia, have issued a joint statement condemning ongoing Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque and demanding its historical and legal status be preserved. The statement expressed strong disapproval of what it described as provocative actions by Israeli settlers at the site.

The declaration said these actions are continuously escalating tensions in the region, expressing particular concern that provocations by Israeli extremist ministers and groups threaten security across the entire region — language that extends the criticism beyond individual settlers to specific government figures, signaling the signatories view the issue as tied to Israeli state policy rather than isolated incidents.

The foreign ministers emphasized that Al-Aqsa’s historical and legal status must be maintained under all circumstances, with its sanctity ensured going forward. The statement also reaffirmed Jordan’s special and historical custodianship over Al-Aqsa’s administrative affairs through its Ministry of Awqaf — a long-standing arrangement dating back decades that gives Jordan formal oversight responsibility for the site’s religious administration, distinct from Israeli security control over the broader area.

Additionally, the ministers called for an immediate end to restrictions preventing Muslims from performing prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, addressing a recurring point of friction where access limitations during periods of heightened tension have repeatedly drawn criticism from Muslim-majority nations and international bodies.

The joint statement reflects a broader pattern of coordinated diplomatic messaging among Muslim-majority states on Al-Aqsa, a site holding deep religious significance as Islam’s third-holiest location while also sitting at the center of decades of political and territorial dispute in Jerusalem. Previous flashpoints at the site have periodically triggered similar joint statements, reflecting how sensitive the location remains across the Muslim world regardless of individual countries’ broader diplomatic relationships with Israel, including those Gulf states that have normalized ties with Israel in recent years.

The statement’s release adds to Pakistan’s recent pattern of active diplomatic engagement across multiple regional issues simultaneously, from its mediating role in the US-Iran conflict to its condemnation of Houthi threats against Saudi shipping, positioning Islamabad within a broader coalition of Muslim-majority states coordinating responses to Middle East developments even as the region faces separate, escalating conflicts on other fronts.

Whether this joint statement produces any tangible change in access restrictions or a formal international response beyond diplomatic condemnation remains uncertain, given that similar statements on Al-Aqsa in the past have generally not resulted in a shift in the underlying security arrangements governing the site.