Business Recorder
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Islamic countries have condemned the continued restrictions imposed by Israel on the freedom of worship for Muslims and Christians in occupied Jerusalem. In a joint statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO), the Foreign ministers of Pakistan and other Muslim nations stressed the necessity of respecting the 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. “The Foreign ministers of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Turkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar condemned, in the strongest terms, and reject the continued restrictions imposed by Israel on the freedom of worship for Muslims and Christians in occupied Jerusalem, including 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 joint statement added. The eight Muslim nations 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. “These continued 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,’’ they further emphasised. The eight Foreign ministers affirmed their absolute rejection of the illegal and restrictive Israeli measures against Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem, including preventing Christians from freely accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to perform their religious rites. The Ministers 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. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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