BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 26. Qatar has condemned what it described as continued Israeli escalations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, including incursions by Israeli settlers and officials, and called for stronger Arab and Islamic coordination to monitor and document violations at Jerusalem’s holy sites.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has separately condemned recent incursions at Al-Aqsa and called for international action.
The remarks were made by Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi during a joint ministerial meeting of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Al Khulaifi said Qatar rejects measures that, in its view, seek to alter the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites. He reaffirmed Qatar’s position that Al-Aqsa Mosque is exclusively a place of worship for Muslims.
He also highlighted an initiative agreed in an August meeting in Amman to establish a sustainable institutional mechanism, including a media platform, to monitor and document alleged violations against holy sites and worshippers. The August ministerial meeting called for such a mechanism and for coordinated international action.
Qatar said it intends to coordinate with the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on the mechanism’s operational structure and funding, as well as on diplomatic and media efforts related to the issue.
Al Khulaifi also reaffirmed Qatar’s support for Palestinian self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the two-state framework. Qatar has reiterated this position during several UN General Assembly meetings this month.
