The Muslim World League (MWL) strongly condemned on Tuesday statements by an Israeli minister advocating for the construction of a synagogue within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.
MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa denounced his remarks, which he said are part of Israel's continuous violations of Muslim sacred sites.
He cautioned about the perilous outcomes of Israel's persistent disregard for international law and human rights, warning that any encroachment on the historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque is a provocation to the sentiments of Muslims around the world.
He underlined the pressing need for the international community to take firm action against these violations and put an end to the systematic crimes perpetrated by the Israeli government against innocent civilians.
Israel's hardline Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir repeated on Monday a call for Jews to be allowed to pray at the Al-Aqsa compound, drawing sharp criticism for inflaming tensions as ceasefire negotiators seek a deal to halt fighting in Gaza.
"The policy at the Temple Mount allows praying there. Period," Ben-Gvir told an Army Radio interviewer. "The prime minister knew when I joined the government there would not be any discrimination. Muslims are allowed to pray and a Jew is not allowed to pray?"
Asked if he would build a synagogue on the site if he could, Ben-Gvir replied: "Yes, Yes."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office immediately put out a statement restating the official Israeli position, which accepts decades-old rules restricting non-Muslim prayer at the mosque compound.
The hillside compound, in Jerusalem's Old City, is one of the most sensitive locations in the Middle East, holy for both Muslims and Jews, and the trigger for repeated conflict.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said calls to tamper with the status of Al-Aqsa appeared intended "to drag the region into a religious war that will burn everyone".
The Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned Ben-Gvir's remarks on Tuesday, saying it was an "extension of Israeli violations against holy sites and freedom of worship."
"Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian territories that have been occupied since 1967," it added, saying the city was also the capital of a Palestinian state.
All measures taken by Israel to Judaize occupied Jerusalem have no legal basis and are considered null and void according to international law and resolutions, it went on to say.
The OIC held "the Israel government fully responsible for the consequences of the ongoing systematic violations that are provocation of Muslim sentiments around the world and that will fuel the religious conflict, extremism and instability in the region."
It called on "the influential parties in the international community to assume their responsibilities and intervene to put a stop to these dangerous Israeli violations and preserve the historical and legal standing of Islamic and Muslim sanctities in Jerusalem."
The United Arab Emirates condemned the Israeli minister’s statements, stressing the need for Israel to respect the historical and legal status in Jerusalem.
Qatar echoed the call, warning that Ben-Gvir's "provocative statements may affect ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza."
