ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office and top political parties on Wednesday condemned an Israeli minister’s visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, calling on the Jewish state to respect the sanctity of Muslim religious sites.
Israel’s new extreme-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, angered Palestinians and US allies in the Arab world, when he visited the holy site on Tuesday.
The mosque is one of the most revered places of worship for Muslims around the world. Under a longstanding status quo, non-Muslims can visit the place at specific times but are not allowed to pray there.
Western governments, including Washington, condemned the incident as well, warning that such moves threatened the fragile status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the insensitive and provocative visit of the Israeli Minister of National Security to the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque compound,” the foreign office said in a statement.
It added the violation of the mosque’s sanctity offended the religious sensitivities of Muslims around the world.
“Israel must cease its illegal actions and respect the sanctity of Muslim religious sites in the occupied Palestinian territories,” the statement maintained.
It reiterated that Pakistan supported a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian state.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has repeatedly called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The country’s top political leaders also condemned the Israeli minister and called for a strong and united response from the international community against the “unnecessary provocation.”
“This is a sad incident, and it has hurt the sentiments of hundreds of millions of people,” former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is also the vice chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told Arab News.
“The PTI condemns this act which is an unnecessary provocation, as it does not seem to have any purpose other than to provoke the Palestinians in particular and Muslims around the world in general,” he continued.
Senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party Raja Zafar-ul-Haq said the Israeli minister’s high-handedness had even forced his country’s allies to condemn his act.
“It is a good thing that Israel’s western allies and Muslim countries, who established friendly ties with it, also condemned the act,” he told Arab News.
Haq maintained “Israel’s atrocities against innocent unarmed Palestinians” had increased in recent years, adding the world should not just rely on words to condemn the Jewish state but also take practical steps to protect the people of Palestine.
Dr. Samia Raheel Qazi of the Jamaat-e-Islami party said “growing Israeli aggression” was putting the whole Middle Eastern region.
“All Muslim countries should cut their ties with Israel and come up with a unified response to stop Israel from killings innocent Palestinians,” she added.
Senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Faisal Karim Kundi said his political faction had always stood by the people of Palestine.
“We, as a party, are supporting the Palestinian cause since the time of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and condemn this act which was taken to provoke and hurt the sentiments of hundreds of millions of Muslims,” he said.
“The international community, United Nations and all Islamic countries have to act, instead of just issuing condemnations,” Kundi added. “Otherwise, this situation may escalate to a dangerous level.”
