Jordan condemns storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by Israeli Knesset’s members

AMMAN — Jordan on Thursday condemned the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif by members of the Israeli Knesset, accompanied by provocative acts by extremists under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces.

A Foreign Ministry statement denounced the “repeated incursions as a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of the sanctity of Al Aqsa and the historical and legal status quo of the site.”

Sufyan Qudah, the ministry’s spokesperson, stressedJordan's firm rejection of any attempt to impose a temporal or spatial division on the holy site.

“Israel, as an occupying force, has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” Qudah said.

He also called on the international community to take “decisive” action to compel Israel to cease its illegal and provocative practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites.

He also reiterated that the entire 144-dunum Al Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Awqaf Department, affiliated to the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the sole legal authority responsible for managing the site and regulating access.