Jordan decries Israeli extremist calls to destroy Al Aqsa Mosque, urges int'l action

AMMAN — Jordan on Friday condemned the ongoing incitement by extremist Israeli settler groups calling for the destruction of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif and the Dome of the Rock.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah denounced the incitement, highlighting that it coincides with measures to alter the historical and legal status quo at these holy sites, according to a ministry statement. 

 Qudah also denounced Israel for facilitating settler incursions into Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif under the protection of Israeli forces, describing these actions as attempts to impose temporal and spatial divisions at the site.

Qudah underscored that Israel’s persistent violations of the status quo in Jerusalem necessitate a robust international response to protect the Palestinian people, particularly in the context of ongoing aggression on Gaza and the West Bank.

He also reiterated that Al Aqsa Mosque, covering an area of 144 dunums, is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims, emphasising that the Jordan-run Jerusalem Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department is the sole authority responsible for supervising and managing access to the site, in accordance with international law and the established legal and historical status quo.