The 54th anniversary of the arson attack on the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, an incident orchestrated by the Jewish extremist Michael Rohan, falls on 21 August 2023.
On 21 August 1969, Rohan set fire to the mosque, resulting in the burning of the eastern wing of the Al-Qibli Mosque, the pulpit of Sultan Saladin, and various other parts of the Blessed Mosque.
Since that fateful day, successive Israeli governments have consistently and systematically attempted to undermine the sanctity of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. They have conducted excavations beneath it and in its vicinity, aimed at weakening its foundations and eventually demolishing it. Additionally, Israeli government officials and settlers frequently intrude into the mosque and its courtyards, often under the direct protection of Israeli occupation forces. This relentless effort seeks to establish a de facto reality and divide the mosque both temporally and spatially, altering its existing legal and historical status.
The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States firmly condemns all violations committed by the Israeli occupation authorities against Christian and Islamic holy sites, particularly the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. We reiterate that the entire Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship designated for Muslims exclusively. We reject and condemn any attempts to diminish Palestinian sovereignty over it, as well as any unilateral actions affecting the legal status of Jerusalem, including the Hashemite custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites.
We call upon the international community, including the United Nations and UNESCO, to promptly intervene and halt Israel's ongoing violations as the occupying power in Jerusalem and the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is imperative to prevent any alterations to the current legal and historical status of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. We salute the resilience of the people of Jerusalem, the Palestinian populace, and their leadership for their heroic response to the Israeli occupation's transgressions and their unwavering defence of Islamic and Christian holy places.
