The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement Thursday condemning what they called repeated Israeli violations of the historic and legal status quo at Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites, including Al-Aqsa Mosque (one of Islam's holiest sites, located on a compound known to Muslims as Al-Haram Al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount). The ministers specifically denounced incursions by Israeli settlers and government officials — including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has entered the compound roughly 14 times since 2023 — as well as the raising of the Israeli flag within the mosque's courtyards. The joint statement also condemned Israel's approval of over 30 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, rejected any annexation of Palestinian territory, and called on the international community to take decisive steps toward a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.