Nabil Fahmy warns of the grave consequences of Israeli extremists' storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque

Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Mr. Nabil Fahmy condemned in the strongest terms the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by thousands of Israeli settlers on 23 July under the protection of the Israeli occupation police and with the participation of ministers from the Israeli Government.

Mr. Fahmy stated that the pace of such incursions has escalated markedly in recent months, reflecting a sustained plan to impose a temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

He warned of the grave danger posed by this policy, which is being driven by a group of Israeli extremists who dominate the occupation government and shape its policies.

The Secretary-General reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or over its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

He stressed that Israel's attempts to alter the legal and historical status quo in the Old City constitute a violation of international law, warning of the consequences of the continued systematic violations and repeated incursions carried out by extremists with the approval, encouragement and direct participation of the Israeli occupation authorities and extremist ministers.

Mr. Fahmy further warned that the settlement government's continued provocation of the sentiments of Arabs and Muslims in this manner risks inflaming tensions and fuelling widespread anger over the desecration of holy sites.

He noted that the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, operating under Jordan's Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Sites, is the sole authority responsible for administering the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif and regulating access to the site.