The government of the Maldives has issued a statement strongly condemning the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, under the protection of Israeli occupying forces.
The statement, issued by the Maldives' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described these repeated attempts to alter Al-Aqsa’s religious and historical status as provocative acts that violate international law and infringe upon the rights of Palestinian people and over two billion Muslims worldwide. They are "grave violations of international law and an attack on the rights of Palestinian people and over two billion Muslims around the world," the statement read.
The Maldives also reiterated its call for the international community to take immediate and decisive action to prevent further acts of aggression against religious sites and to ensure respect for international law and human rights. The international community must "take immediate and decisive action to prevent further acts of aggression against religious sites and to ensure respect for international law and human rights," the statement emphasised.
The Government of Maldives also stressed that a lasting peaceful solution to the conflict can only be achieved through the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Ben-Gvir's visit to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Thursday also triggered furious reactions from the Palestinian Authority and the Arab and Islamic world. The Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, Islam’s third-holiest site, is a symbol of Palestinian national identity.
Under the status quo maintained by Israel, which has occupied East Jerusalem and its Old City since 1967, Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the compound during specified hours, but they are not permitted to pray there or display religious symbols.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry condemned Ben-Gvir’s latest visit, calling his actions a "provocation to millions of Palestinians and Muslims." Jordan, which administers the mosque compound, similarly condemned what its foreign ministry called Ben-Gvir’s "provocative and unacceptable" actions, describing them as a "violation of the historical and legal status quo."
Ben-Gvir’s latest visit to the Al-Aqsa compound coincides with ongoing genocidal offensives by Israeli occupying forces against the residents of Gaza. The offensives, which began on 7 October 2024, have killed at least 45,399 Palestinians and wounded 107,940 others, most of whom are innocent women and children.