The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Calls for Genuine International Intervention to Guarantee Palestinians’ Freedom to Enter Jerusalem and Worship

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates reaffirms that the Israeli occupation has no authority or legal right to restrict Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa Mosque under any pretext. The ministry considers the Israeli-imposed age restrictions on worshippers a  flagrant breach of international law and a violation of the fundamental right to freedom of movement and access to places of worship.

The ministry also emphasizes that these restrictions, which limit entry based on age, further reduce the number of worshippers on Fridays, exposing the baseless nature of Israel’s justifications. Moreover, Jerusalem is an occupied Palestinian territory under international law and does not fall under Israeli sovereignty.

Furthermore, the ministry strongly condemns the Israeli military’s raid on eight mosques in Nablus, where occupation forces vandalized and damaged parts of these sacred sites, as well as the burning of large sections of Al-Nassr Mosque in the city’s Old Town. These escalating violations against Palestinian religious sites highlight the urgent need for real and effective international intervention to protect the Palestinian people, their land, property, and holy sites, and to ensure their fundamental right to enter Jerusalem and worship freely without unlawful restrictions.