ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the recent “storming” of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday, saying that such actions were a violation of international law and imperil the prospects for peace in the Middle East.
Ben Gvir visited the mosque compound on Sunday, flanked by police officials, and said he prayed there, challenging rules covering one of the most sacred sites in Islam.
The compound has been managed by a Jordanian Islamic trust called the Waqf since 1967, following the Six-Day War. Under this long-standing and sensitive arrangement, Jews are allowed to visit the site but are not permitted to pray there.
The move drew condemnations from Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, who both opposed Ben Gvir’s visit by saying that it was a violation of international law and could lead to a surge in tensions.
“Pakistan unequivocally condemns the recent act of storming of ... Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli ministers, accompanied by settler groups and shielded by Israeli police,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.
