https://arab.news/2f3y8
- On Sunday, over 400 Israeli settlers launched a raid at Al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in Jerusalem
- Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson says act an ‘affront’ to religious sentiments of millions of Muslims
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday issued a strong statement condemning the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of Israeli settlers last week, calling upon the international community to take steps to check Israel’s aggression in the region.
Over 400 Israeli settlers launched a raid on Sunday on the compound’s courtyards in occupied Jerusalem, in the latest breach of one of Islam’s holiest sites. The incident invited scathing criticism and condemnation from Muslim countries Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt, who called on Israel to stop provoking the religious sentiments of millions of Muslims across the globe.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the recent storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by a group of extremists under the watch of Israeli occupation forces,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a media briefing. “We believe that a continuation of such unfortunate incidents this year constitutes a flagrant violation of the relevant international norms and conventions.”
She said the act was an “affront” to the religious sentiments of Muslims around the world.
“Pakistan reiterates its call upon the international community to act in concert to bring an end to Israel’s escalatory practices in the interest of peace, security and stability in the Middle East and beyond,” Baloch added.
Pakistan has frequently condemned Israel’s atrocities in Palestine following rising bloodshed in the West Bank last year after the Israeli government undertook a new drive to expand West Bank settlements.
Pakistan has for decades backed the demand for an independent and contiguous Palestinian State with pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) resolutions.