Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA) have today welcomed the recent joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of the UAE, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar condemning Israel’s closure of Masjid Al-Aqsa.
The organisation, however, pointed out that while these concerns are important, they are obliged to emphasise that statements alone are not enough given the serious and growing threats facing Masjid Al-Aqsa.
A statement issued by FOA said “The closure of Masjid Al-Aqsa does not occur in isolation. It comes in the shadow of the devastating genocide unfolding in Gaza, the seizure of administrative control of the Ibrahimi Masjid in Al-Khalil (Hebron), and increasingly open calls by prominent Israeli political and ideological figures for the destruction of the existing structures of Masjid Al-Aqsa.”
They added, “What was once considered a fringe aspiration, the rebuilding of a Jewish temple on the site of Masjid Al-Aqsa, is now moving into the mainstream of Israeli political discourse and ambition. These developments represent immediate and escalating threats to Masjid Al-Aqsa.”
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“Verbal condemnation alone cannot deter further Israeli violations,” the statement read. “Israel has repeatedly demonstrated that it will not be restrained by statements. It has disregarded United Nations resolutions, UNESCO rulings, the Geneva Conventions, and fundamental principles of international and humanitarian law.”
This is an eleventh-hour moment for Masjid Al-Aqsa, Friends of Al-Aqsa said. They urged the governments of Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar to move beyond condemnation and immediately implement tangible measures:
Suspend trade with Israel;
Withdraw ambassadors; and
Impose diplomatic and economic sanctions
The statement concluded by cautioning that “History will remember not the statements issued in this moment, but the actions taken to defend Masjid Al-Aqsa.”
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