Egypt warns Israeli Al-Aqsa incursions seek to alter status quo, impose 'new reality'

CAIRO, Oct 2 : Egypt has condemned the entry of hundreds of Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, warning that repeated incursions and religious rituals at the holy site were aimed at altering its established historical and legal status quo and creating a "new reality."

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the incursions, accompanied by what it described as provocative acts and religious rituals in the mosque's courtyards, constituted violations of the historical and legal arrangements governing Jerusalem's holy sites.

Cairo stressed the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem's religious sites and safeguard the Islamic character and status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Egypt said maintaining the existing arrangements governing the holy sites was essential to preventing further escalation, warning that repeated violations could fuel tensions in Jerusalem and the wider region.

"These practices are part of a systematic policy that evades all forms of deterrence or accountability," the ministry said, warning that continued violations could have serious repercussions for security and stability in the occupied Palestinian territories and across the region.

The statement came as the Arab League also condemned the entry of more than 1,300 Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the fifth day of the Jewish festival of Sukkot.

The Arab League denounced the accompanying public religious rituals and prayers in the mosque's courtyards under Israeli police protection, as well as restrictions imposed on Palestinian worshippers and measures obstructing their access to the site.

It warned against the "growing scale and frequency of the incursions, along with attempts to conduct religious rituals inside the mosque," amounted "to an assault on the site's sanctity and a systematic effort to alter its historical and legal status quo."

The Arab League said such actions were aimed at imposing "facts on the ground" that could pave the way for the division of the holy site by time and space. (UNI)