Doha - Media & Communication Dept. - 04 October 2023

The State of Qatar strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of settlers, the imposition of severe entry restrictions on worshippers by the Israeli occupation authorities, and their refusal of a request from churches in Jerusalem and Haifa to protect worshippers from attacks by extremist groups. It considers these acts and decisions a provocation to the feelings of Muslims and Christians around the world.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns against introducing any changes to the historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem and its sanctities. It also holds the occupation authorities solely responsible for the cycle of violence that will result from this systematic policy against the rights of the Palestinian people and their lands and holy sites. The Ministry urges the international community to take urgent action to stop these attacks, and oblige Israel to provide the necessary protection for these holy sites and to respect the resolutions of international legitimacy.

The Ministry reiterates the firm position of the State of Qatar regarding the justice of the Palestinian cause, and the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, including the full right to practice their religious rituals without restrictions, and to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.