Pakistan, alongside seven other Muslim-majority nations, has strongly condemned restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on access to Muslim and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem, calling the measures a violation of international law, officials said on Tuesday.
In a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the countries rejected Israel’s continued limitations on freedom of worship at key religious sites, including Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram al-Sharif and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They criticised actions that prevented Muslim worshippers from accessing Al-Aqsa during Ramadan and barred Christian clergy from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass.
The ministers described the restrictions as a “flagrant violation of international law” and an infringement on the “unrestricted right of access to places of worship.” They reiterated that Israel, as an occupying power, should immediately remove the limitations and allow free access to the sacred sites.
The move sparked international outcry, with reports that Israeli authorities later reversed the ban for the remainder of Holy Week after widespread criticism