Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned incursions by Israeli officials and settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque and rejected Israel’s efforts to expand in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
In its statement, the ministry strongly condemned the provocative actions by Israeli officials and a group of extremist settlers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as violations of the mosque’s religious and historical status.
The statement said that the actions carried out under the protection of Israeli forces violated international law and provoked the feelings of Muslims around the world.
More than 1,700 settlers entered Al-Aqsa on Monday
More than 1,700 Israeli settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem on Monday, citing the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The incursions continued for a second day.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also entered Al-Aqsa Mosque and spoke approvingly of his visit. A video distributed by Ben-Gvir’s office showed the visit.
As settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque increased following the start of the Jewish holidays, Israeli forces imposed heightened security measures in East Jerusalem.
Riyadh responds to expansion in Lebanon and Gaza
Saudi Arabia also condemned statements by Israel aimed at annexing parts of southern Lebanon and areas of the Gaza Strip extending to what is known as the “yellow line.”
The ministry rejected all Israeli expansion efforts and underscored the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
As Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon continue, some areas in the region remain under Israeli control, with some seized decades ago and others captured during recent wars and military operations.
Smotrich calls for pushing Gazans toward forced displacement
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for Palestinians to be driven toward forced displacement by making them desperate over the reconstruction of Gaza.
Smotrich said that if Israel annexed the area extending to the “yellow line” and left Gaza small, overcrowded and devastated, residents would understand that there was no point in remaining there.
The Israeli army is deployed along the “yellow line,” which it describes as a security zone established inside the Gaza Strip, and prevents Palestinians from approaching areas around the line. Israel is said to control more than 70 percent of Gaza.
More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 175,000 injured in attacks on Gaza since October 8, 2023, while 90 percent of the infrastructure has been damaged. Children and women make up the majority of those killed and injured.
