Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israel’s extremist Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday morning, May 21, 2023.

In a statement, the Jordanian foreign ministry described Ben Gvir’s raid as a “provocation”, adding that it is a serious escalation that violates international law.

“The Israeli ongoing attacks and violations against Islamic and Christian sanctities in occupied Jerusalem, coinciding with unilateral actions and settlement expansions, warn of further escalation, which the international community must work to stop immediately,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sinan Majali said.

The statement pointed out that the holy compound, which covers a total area of 144 dunums, is a solely Muslim place of worship, and that the Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department is the body with exclusive jurisdiction to manage all affairs of the compound and organize entry to it.

In addition, Mijali called on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately stop all violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque and respect its sanctity, stressing that all actions, which aim at imposing a temporal and spatial division at Al-Aqsa, must end.

On Sunday morning, Israeli far-right wing minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with dozens of Israeli settlers, broke into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and performed provocative rituals under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.

Israeli settlers carry out semi-daily incursions into the blessed Mosque in Jerusalem and provocatively perform Talmudic rituals under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem continue their calls to mobilize at Al-Aqsa to confront the Israeli settlers’ calls for mass raids in Al-Aqsa.

In April 2023, nearly 5054 Israeli settlers invaded the courtyards of Al-Aqsa mosque and performed provocative Talmudic rituals at its courtyards.