Arab and Muslim Foreign Ministers Agree on Mechanism to Document Israeli Violations in East Jerusalem
Arab and Muslim foreign ministers have agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to document and expose Israeli violations in East Jerusalem and the city’s Islamic and Christian holy sites. The agreement came at the conclusion of a meeting held in Amman, the capital of Jordan.
According to the joint statement from the meeting, this mechanism will include a media platform to record violations, inform international organizations, and raise global public awareness. The meeting was attended by members of the Arab Ministers’ Committee for Jerusalem affairs as well as representatives from Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Participants condemned Israel’s policies and actions, describing them as attempts to alter the Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity of Jerusalem and to manipulate the city’s legal and demographic status. They emphasized that East Jerusalem is part of the occupied Palestinian territories and that Israel has no sovereignty over it.
The statement affirmed that East Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine, and that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 borders, based on a two-state solution, is the only path to a just and lasting peace.
Ministers also condemned Israeli measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque, including attempts to change the historic and legal status of the site, imposing temporal and spatial divisions, increasing the presence of extremist settlers, restricting worshippers, interfering in Jerusalem’s religious endowment affairs, and ongoing excavations around the site.
The statement emphasized that the 144-dunam compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque is exclusively a place of worship for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Endowment Authority, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, is the sole legal body responsible for managing the compound.
Participants also condemned restrictions and actions against Christian holy sites, including access limitations to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, interference in church affairs, and attacks on clergy and religious symbols. They warned that continuation of such practices could lead to widespread religious tensions with regional and international repercussions.
The statement rejected any unilateral decisions regarding the legal status of Jerusalem, including relocating or establishing diplomatic missions in the city. It called for a joint meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League foreign ministers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September to discuss developments concerning Jerusalem.
