Pakistan has strongly denounced the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem by Israeli ministers and over 1,200 settlers, calling the act a shameless Israeli raid meant to incite further regional instability.
Details of Israeli Raid
The incursion occurred early Sunday during Tisha B’Av, a Jewish day of mourning, when far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, backed by police, led a group of settlers into the Al-Aqsa compound. According to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, the settlers conducted Talmudic rituals, danced, and sang inside the mosque area, violating long-standing agreements about the site’s status quo.
Details of Al-Aqsa Mosque Administration
Under the existing arrangement, the Al-Aqsa compound is administered by a Jordanian Islamic trust. Jews are allowed to visit but not pray there. The site remains Islam’s third holiest location, deeply significant to over a billion Muslims worldwide.
PM Shehbaz’s Stance
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a strongly worded statement on X, condemned the intrusion, calling it a direct assault on the religious sanctity of Muslims and a violation of international law. “Such systematic provocations by the occupying power imperil any prospect of peace,” he stated.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office also issued an official condemnation, warning that declarations such as “the Temple Mount is ours” reflect deliberate attempts to provoke global religious tensions and illegally alter the site’s historic and legal status.
The statement warned of a potential “catastrophic spiral of violence” triggered by Israel’s actions, urging the United Nations to hold Tel Aviv accountable and prevent further escalations.
Pakistan reaffirmed its call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where, since October 7, 2023, Israeli assaults have reportedly killed over 60,800 Palestinians and injured nearly 149,000, per the Palestinian health ministry. Roughly 88% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed, according to the Gaza Media Office.
Pakistan reiterated its support for the two-state solution, advocating for a sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital.
Dar in UN
Earlier, at the UN conference on the two-state solution in New York (July 29), Deputy PM Ishaq Dar said the Palestine question was “a test case” for global moral responsibility and international law enforcement.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, August 4th, 2025
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