Doha, ALRAY - Qatar on Wednesday condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli occupation forces’ storming and vandalism of the al-Aqsa Mosque, assaulting worshipers inside, preventing ambulances from reaching the injured and evacuating the worshipers in al-Qibli prayer hall, imposing restrictions on the mosque’s gates and preventing Palestinians from entering.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered these brutal criminal practices a serious escalation and a blatant infringement of the holy places, an extension of the policy of judaizing Jerusalem, a violation of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, and a provocation to the feelings of more than two billion Muslims in the world, especially in the blessed month of Ramadan.

The ministry reminded that Jerusalem is an occupied city according to international law, and therefore the responsibility for caring for the worshipers’ rights guaranteed by international and humanitarian conventions falls exclusively on the Israeli occupation forces.

In this context, the ministry warned against introducing any changes to the historical and legal status of the al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem and its sanctities.

It also held the occupation authorities solely responsible for the cycle of violence that will result from their systematic policies against the rights of the Palestinian people, and urged the international community to take urgent actions to stop these measures.

The ministry reiterated the firm position of the state of Qatar on the injustice of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, including the full right to practice their religious rites without restrictions and to establish their independent state on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.