KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has condemned in the strongest terms the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by a Zionist Israeli minister, describing the move as a grave provocation that risks further inflaming tensions in occupied East Jerusalem.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the act, carried out under the pretext of marking Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, was an insult to the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and reflected Israel’s continued disregard for international norms and religious sensitivities.
"Malaysia regards this action as part of a deliberate and systematic pattern of Israeli provocations in the occupied East Jerusalem aimed at entrenching illegal occupation and altering the status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"Such actions constitute flagrant violations of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, which explicitly reject any unilateral attempt to alter the status, legal character, or demographic composition of Jerusalem, including occupied East Jerusalem,” the statement read.
As the occupying power, Israel bears full responsibility under international law to protect religious sites and refrain from actions that inflame tensions, the Foreign Ministry said.
"These repeated and deliberate incursions further demonstrate a pattern of escalation that risks provoking wider instability in an already fragile regional situation,” the statement read.
Malaysia also called on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to take immediate and decisive action to ensure accountability and demand that Israel halt further provocations.
The ministry reaffirmed Malaysia’s steadfast solidarity with the Palestinian people and its commitment to safeguarding their religious, cultural, and national heritage.
"Malaysia reiterates its unwavering support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” it stated. — Bernama
