The call was made by the Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, during a joint ministerial meeting of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

  According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry, Al-Khulaifi asserted that the protection of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites must be a priority for joint Arab and Islamic action.

  The official reiterated Doha’s rejection of what he described as “systematic and illegal Israeli violations and measures” aimed at altering the city’s historical, legal, and demographic character.

  He further maintained that unilateral measures intended to impose a new reality in Jerusalem and its holy sites are “null and void” under international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.

  Al-Khulaifi also affirmed that the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, also known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, constitutes a “place of worship exclusively for Muslims.”

  The Qatari representative reiterated his country’s support for the Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites and condemned the Israeli escalation at Al-Aqsa, including incursions by settlers accompanied by Israeli ministers and the raising of the Israeli flag in the compound’s courtyards.

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