UAE Condemns Israeli Minister’s Storming of Al-Aqsa Compound

People walk towards the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on January 3, 2023. (AFP)
People walk towards the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on January 3, 2023. (AFP)
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UAE Condemns Israeli Minister’s Storming of Al-Aqsa Compound

People walk towards the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on January 3, 2023. (AFP)
People walk towards the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on January 3, 2023. (AFP)

The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned on Tuesday the storming of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound by an Israeli minister under the protection of Israeli forces, said the state news agency WAM.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) reiterated its firm position on the need to provide full protection for the Al-Aqsa mosque and halt serious and provocative violations taking place there.

Furthermore, the Ministry underscored the need to respect the custodial role of Jordan over the holy sites and endowments in accordance with international law and the historical situation at hand, and not to compromise the authority of the Jerusalem Endowment Administration and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Ministry called on Israeli authorities to assume responsibility for reducing escalation and instability in the region.

Moreover, the Ministry stressed the need to support all regional and international efforts to advance the Middle East Peace process, end illegal practices that threaten the two-state solution, and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.



Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa received a delegation from Bahrain on Wednesday and met with the Bahraini foreign minister, state media reported.

The visit was the latest in a flurry of diplomatic overtures by Arab countries to Syria’s new leaders after they overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive.

Like other Gulf countries, Bahrain had cut off diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad’s rule during the Syrian civil war, but it reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018 and gradually restored ties with the Assad government.

Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit, and days after Assad’s ouster it had sent a message to al-Sharaa offering its cooperation with the new authorities and saying, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.”