Pakistan strongly condemns Israeli minister’s visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque

January 4, 2023

By Mashal Khan

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned the visit of Israeli Minister of National Security to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and called it "insensitive and provocative."

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that Al-Aqsa is a holy site revered by Muslims around the world, and violation of its sanctity offends the religious sensitivities of Muslims and inflames an already tense situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"Israel must cease its illegal actions and respect the sanctity of Muslim religious sites in the occupied Palestinian territories," said the ministry.

Islamabad reiterated its strong support for the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people and said Pakistan renews its call for a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State, with pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions.

On Tuesday, Israel's new national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, a day after announcing he postponed the visit amid warnings of unrest

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.