Arab, Muslim nations unveil plan to protect Jerusalem holy sites

International Desk : Arab and Muslim foreign ministers have agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to document and publicise Israeli violations in occupied East Jerusalem and at its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The decision was announced in a joint declaration adopted at a ministerial meeting in Jordan on Wednesday. The initiative includes the creation of a media platform to document developments at the holy sites and share information with international organisations and the global community.

The meeting brought together members of the Arab Ministerial Committee on Jerusalem, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and representatives from Türkiye, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

In the declaration, the participants called for immediate international action to halt Israeli aggression in Jerusalem and at its religious sites. They also condemned Israeli policies aimed at altering the city’s Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, as well as its legal and demographic status.

The statement expressed concern over the situation in East Jerusalem, alleging that Israeli settlement expansion, land annexation, property confiscation and other measures were further entrenching the occupation and isolating the city from the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory.

The ministers also criticised Israeli actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, alleging attempts to change its historical and legal status quo through increased incursions, restrictions on worshippers and interference in the work of the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department.

The proposed mechanism will document and highlight developments affecting Islamic and Christian holy sites, including restrictions on access, archaeological excavations around religious sites and incidents involving worshippers and religious institutions.

The declaration also expressed concern over measures affecting Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, including restrictions on access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, alleged interference in church affairs and attacks targeting clergy, worshippers and religious symbols.

The participants called for a joint ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the League of Arab States during the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this September to discuss the latest developments concerning Jerusalem and its holy sites.