Arab Nations Condemn Israeli Minister's Al-Aqsa Mosque Incursion

The governments of Jordan, Qatar, and Egypt, along with the League of Arab States, condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security. Ben-Gvir and a group of extremist settlers entered the site under escort from Israeli police on September 20, 2026.

Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates characterized the incursion as a flagrant violation of the historical and legal status quo and a desecration of the site's sanctity. Spokesperson Fuad Majali warned that the action represents a dangerous escalation and an attempt to impose a temporal and spatial division of the mosque. Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs similarly described the incident as an unacceptable provocation and a violation of international law, asserting that any unilateral attempts to change the legal status of Jerusalem's holy sites are null and void.

By September 21, the League of Arab States and the Egyptian government joined the condemnation, calling for the preservation of the Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem's holy sites. The League of Arab States further denounced ongoing Israeli raids and home destructions in Palestinian towns, specifically in Biddu, and rejected the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron to Muslim worshippers.