RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday strongly condemned the continued provocative practices by Israeli occupation officials and a group of extremist settlers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, including violations of its sanctity and its religious and historical status, carried out under the protection of occupation forces.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, reiterated the Kingdom’s rejection of these violations of international law, which provoked the sentiments of Muslims around the world.
“The Kingdom condemns Israeli statements regarding the annexation of areas in southern Lebanon and those extending to the ‘Yellow Line’ in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.
#بيان | تعرب وزارة الخارجية عن إدانة المملكة العربية السعودية واستنكارها بأشد العبارات لاستمرار مسؤولي سلطات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي ومجموعة من المستوطنين المتطرفين ممارساتهم الاستفزازية بحق المسجد الأقصى المبارك، والاعتداء على حرمته ومكانته الدينية والتاريخية، تحت حماية قوات تابعة… pic.twitter.com/JGlCE1q9A9
— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) September 28, 2026
Saudi Arabia affirmed its rejection of any Israeli expansionist attempt and emphasised the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Illegal Israeli Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
Scores of illegal Israeli settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, while Israeli authorities ordered Palestinians in the Old City to close their businesses to allow Jewish prayers during the Sukkot holiday.
Videos posted on social media by illegal Israeli settlers showed them entering the site and performing Jewish religious rituals, prayers and singing. The rituals were concentrated in the eastern section of the mosque compound.
On Sunday, more than 1,500 illegal Israeli settlers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, entered Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection to mark the Sukkot holiday, according to Jerusalem’s Islamic Waqf Department and Palestinian media.
The incursions drew widespread condemnation, with Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh describing them as “playing with fire” and a dangerous provocation to Muslims worldwide. He also warned of a “religious war” that he said Israel was seeking to ignite in the region.
Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third-holiest site
Al-Aqsa Mosque is Islam’s third-holiest site and has witnessed increased illegal Israeli settler incursions since the start of the Jewish holiday season, with religious rituals and prayers being performed in its courtyards under heavy Israeli police protection.
ALSO READ: Illegal Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
The Jewish holiday period began with Rosh Hashanah on September 12-13, followed by Yom Kippur on September 21-22. Sukkot runs from September 26 to October 2, followed by Simchat Torah on October 3.
The intrusion came as Israeli authorities ordered dozens of Palestinian shopkeepers to close their businesses and residents to remain inside their homes in the Cotton Merchants Market, a passage leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque, to make way for Jewish prayers during Sukkot.
Forced closure of shops
“Dozens of Palestinian owners of shops, cafes and restaurants in the Cotton Merchants Market in Jerusalem’s Old City were forced to close their businesses during the Jewish Sukkot holiday to make way for Jewish prayers in the market,” the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said in a statement.
The authorities also ordered around 200 Palestinians living along the prayer route to remain indoors while the prayers were being held, the association said.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community.
