The Arab League has urged Israel to stop holding Jewish prayers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, warning that such activities would be a blatant insult to Muslim sensitivities and could lead to more bloodshed.
On Thursday, the league broke its silence on recent violent events at Al-Aqsa, claiming that Israel has curtailed Muslims’ ability to worship in Jerusalem’s Old City while permitting ultra-nationalist Jews to visit under police protection.
After an emergency meeting of the league in Amman, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters, “Our demands are clear: Al-Aqsa and Haram al Sharif in all of its area is a sole place of worship for Muslims.”
The meeting was organised to debate “illegal Israeli policies and measures” in Jerusalem, according to the league.
Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Al-Aqsa compound but are not permitted to pray there, according to Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
Last week, Israeli riot police invaded the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, injuring at least 158 Palestinians and detaining hundreds more.
On Wednesday, Safadi met with senior US Department of State officials touring the region to discuss easing tensions at the sacred site, after speaking with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week.
The foreign minister stated that he had received assurances from Israel that Jewish worshippers would not be allowed to enter Al-Aqsa.
The Al-Aqsa compound, which sits atop the walled Old City plateau, is Islam’s third holiest site and is known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary). The Temple Mount is known to Jews as the holiest location in Judaism, where they believe two ancient temples once stood.
The Arab League has warned that Israel’s actions at Al-Aqsa “threaten to ignite a spiral of unrest,” and that the “attacks and violations represent a flagrant provocation to the sensibilities of Muslims,” according to Jordan’s Petra news agency.
Member nations who have recently normalised relations with Israel, such as the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, as well as Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Palestinian Authority representatives, attended the meeting.
The recent uptick in violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory – which coincided with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan – has fueled fears of a repeat of last May’s 11-day Israeli assault on Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of more than 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 Israelis.
More than 1,000 ultra-nationalist activists carrying Israeli flags and yelling “death to the Arabs” were prevented from reaching Damascus Gate and the Muslim part of the Old City on Wednesday evening.
After being forbidden from the Damascus Gate area earlier in the day by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir, a controversial opposition leader, led the protest.
