UAE, regional partners issue joint statement on Israel

The UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Türkiye, Pakistan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have issued a joint statement condemning and rejecting the continued restrictions imposed by Israel on the freedom of worship for Muslims and Christians in occupied Jerusalem.

It includes the prevention of Muslim worshippers from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and the prevention of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass.

The Foreign Ministers renewed their condemnation and rejection of any Israeli attempts to alter the legal and historical status quo at Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

They continued by stating Israeli measures constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as of the legal and historical status quo, and represent an infringement on the unrestricted right of access to places of worship.

Joint statement by Foreign ministers of UAE, Jordan, Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatarhttps://t.co/7YKV2xSs3t pic.twitter.com/NetKIL4vHu

— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) March 30, 2026

The Ministers stressed the necessity of respecting the existing legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem and its Muslim and Christian holy sites, reiterating that Israel, as the occupying power, holds no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem, and underscoring the need to halt all measures that impede worshippers’ access to their places of worship in Jerusalem.

They renewed their condemnation of Israel’s continued closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif to worshippers for 30 consecutive days including during the holy month of Ramadan, and the restriction of freedom of worship, which constitutes a serious violation of international law, the existing legal and historical status quo, and Israel’s obligations as the occupying Power. They warned of the dangers of these escalatory measures to regional and international peace and security.

They reiterated that the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram Al-Sharif, amounting to 144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction to administer the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and regulate entry thereto.

The Ministers called on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately cease the closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram Al-Sharif, remove access restrictions in the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the mosque.

They also called on the international community to adopt a firm position that compels Israel to halt its ongoing violations and illegal practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as its violations of the sanctity of these holy places.