PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has strongly condemned the continued closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque to Muslim worshippers during Ramadan.
The Foreign Ministry described the restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on access to Jerusalem’s Old City and its places of worship as discriminatory and arbitrary.
“Such actions represent yet another provocation against Muslim worshippers and further inflame tensions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday (March 12).
The ministry also said the measures constituted a grave violation of international law and international humanitarian law, as well as the historical and legal status quo governing the holy sites in Jerusalem.
“Israel has no sovereignty over Occupied East Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” it added.
Malaysia also rejected what it described as illegal and unjustified measures that undermine the sanctity and status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The ministry said the entire 144-dunam compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque, also known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, is a place of worship for Muslims.
It added that the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department under Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, remains the sole legitimate authority responsible for administering the site and regulating access.
Malaysia also urged the international community to compel the occupying power to cease violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and respect their sanctity and historical status quo.
