Qatar condemns raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque, flag march by illegal Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem

By Abdul Salam Fayez

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - Qatar condemned on Thursday a raid by illegal Israeli settlers on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and flag march in East Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate.

“Qatar strongly condemns Israeli officials and illegal settlers’ raid into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex and the organization of a march in occupied Jerusalem under the protection of the occupation police,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It considered it a “blatant violation of international law and the Jordanian custodianship over the holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.”

Jordan retained its right to oversee religious affairs in Jerusalem under the 1994 Wadi Araba peace treaty with Israel.

In March 2013, King Abdullah of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas inked an agreement granting Jordan the right to “custodianship and defense of Jerusalem and its holy sites” in Palestine.

Under heavy police protection, far-right Israelis arrived Wednesday at the Damascus Gate Square from West Jerusalem and other parts of Israel and West Bank settlements, waving Israeli flags.

Israeli police deployed 3,000 personnel to secure the march, which included far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who claimed in a post on the X that the Al-Aqsa Mosque belongs to Jews.

The Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem reported Wednesday that 1,184 Israeli extremists stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the morning.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

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 recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio