Qatar calls for diplomatic and media campaign on Jerusalem

Qatar called for a coordinated diplomatic and media campaign to expose and halt violations in occupied East Jerusalem. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi proposed establishing an institutional mechanism and media platform to document developments at the holy sites.

Scraper SystemSeptember 26, 2026, 06:39 PM

Qatar calls for diplomatic and media campaign on Jerusalem

Qatar called on the Arab and Islamic worlds to take joint steps to protect Jerusalem and the city's Islamic and Christian holy sites. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, Qatar's Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called for the launch of a diplomatic and media campaign to document and halt violations in occupied East Jerusalem.

Al-Khulaifi made the call at a joint ministerial meeting of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation held in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a statement from Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Al-Khulaifi said protecting Jerusalem should be a priority in the joint efforts of the Arab and Islamic worlds.

Al-Khulaifi said Qatar rejected practices aimed at changing the city's historical, legal and demographic character, and proposed establishing an institutional mechanism to continuously monitor and document developments in Jerusalem and at its holy sites.

Media platform proposed for holy sites

Under the proposal, the media platform would document violations against holy sites and worshippers and present them to international organisations and the global public. Al-Khulaifi called for continued coordination with the secretariats-general of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to determine the initiative's working methods and sources of funding.

Al-Khulaifi also stressed the importance of implementing the outcomes of the meeting held in Amman in August.

Support for Hashemite custodianship and a Palestinian state

The Qatari representative reiterated support for the historical Hashemite custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He condemned the tensions at Al-Aqsa Mosque, settler raids led by Israeli ministers and the raising of the Israeli flag in the courtyards.

The custodianship of the Hashemite kings over Jerusalem's holy sites has, since 1917, included protecting the religious rights of Muslims and Christians and safeguarding the identity and security of the holy sites. Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed an agreement in March 2013 granting Jordan the right to custodianship and defence of Jerusalem and the holy sites in Palestine.

Qatar also reiterated its support for the rights of the Palestinian people. The statement said Qatar supported the Palestinians' right to self-determination and to establish an independent state within the June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and advocated implementing the two-state solution.

Statement on access to Al-Aqsa Mosque

The Jerusalem Governorate in Palestine said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem on September 20 under heavy security measures and performed Jewish religious rituals in the site's eastern section.

According to the governorate, 1,678 Israeli settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque on September 20 and 21 during the Yom Kippur period. The governorate said this was the highest number recorded for that period.

The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York is scheduled to continue until September 28.

Qatar calls for diplomatic and media campaign on Jerusalem