RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned the repeated ‘provocative practices’ by officials of the Israeli occupation authorities against Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On Sunday, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, visited the highly sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem and stated that he had prayed at the site.
His actions challenged the long-standing “status quo” arrangement that governs the site—an agreement under which the compound is administered by a Jordanian Islamic religious trust.
According to this arrangement, Jews are permitted to visit the site but are not allowed to pray there, in an effort to maintain religious and political stability around one of the most contested places in the Middle East.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on Sunday, affirmed that such practices fuel the conflict in the region.
“The Kingdom emphasises its call on the international community to put an end to the actions of the Israeli occupation officials, which violate international laws and norms and undermine peace efforts in the region,” it said.
#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation in the strongest terms of the repeated provocative practices by officials of the Israeli occupation authorities against Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Kingdom affirms that such practices fuel the conflict… pic.twitter.com/SWubIeWvaQ
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) August 3, 2025
Saudi Arabia has consistently condemned what it described as Israel’s ongoing and blatant violations of the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Jordan also issued a strong denunciation of Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the site, with its foreign ministry calling the act “a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”
The statement further described the move as an unacceptable provocation and a condemned escalation of tensions.
“Israel holds no sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif,” the statement said.
Ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah reiterated Jordan’s “absolute rejection and firm condemnation of the continued, provocative incursions by the extremist minister, as well as the facilitation of repeated settler entries into Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli police.”
Such actions constitute a clear breach of the historical and legal status quo of the mosque and represent an attempt to divide it temporally and spatially, and a desecration of its sanctity, Qudah said.
