• Pakistan condemned Israeli Minister’s visit to Al-Aqsa mosque compound
• It said Israel must cease illegal actions and respect sanctity of Muslim religious sites
• It reiterated Pakistan’s support for the Palestinians

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemns the “insensitive and provocative” visit of Israeli Minister of National Security to the Holy Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

“Al-Aqsa is a holy site revered by Muslims around the world,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. “Violation of its sanctity offends the religious sensitivities of Muslims and inflames an already tense situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

The statement said Israel must cease its illegal actions and respect the sanctity of Muslim religious sites in the occupied Palestinian territories. It reiterated Pakistan’s “strong support for the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people”.

It also renewed Pakistan’s call for a “viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State with pre-1967 borders” and with Al Quds as its capital, in accordance with the relevant United Nations and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation resolutions.

Israel’s new far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound angering Palestinians and drawing condemnations from countries including the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkiye and Jordan.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh had called on Palestinians to “confront the raids into Al Aqsa mosque” and accused Ben-Gvir of staging the visit as part of a bid to turn the shrine “into a Jewish temple”.

Turkiye termed the visit a “provocative act” while the UAE strongly condemned the “storming” of the site. Saudi Arabia and Jordan had used similar terms in their officials’ statements.

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