Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have condemned visits by Jews to al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or the Temple Mount, dubbing them provocations and a violation of the status quo at the site.
The visits were “an incursion by extremists into the mosque’s premises,” the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
The visits are carried out under police protection and do not include entry into any of the two mosques at the compound.
“The [Jewish] extremists’ raids, under the protection of the Israeli police, are a ‘flagrant’ violation of the existing legal and historic status, international law and Israel’s obligations,” the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said.
The entire Aqsa Mosque area “is a place of worship for Muslims, and the [Jordanian-controlled] Wakf [Islamic religious trust] was the only party entitled to manage the site,” it said.
The Jordanian statement called on the Israeli authorities “to stop the violations and respect the legal and historic status quo.”
It further called on the international community to pressure Israel “to stop the ongoing violations and provocations at al-Aqsa Mosque.”
In a separate statement, the Wakf in east Jerusalem said 230 “Jewish extremists stormed the mosque [on Sunday], conducted tours and practiced public Talmudic rituals and prayers inside its courtyard.”
It condemned “Jewish extremists” for making “provocative tours” near the entrances to the Temple Mount.
The Wakf accused the police of turning al-Aqsa Mosque compound into a “military barracks to protect Jewish extremists invading the mosque.” Israel was seeking to alter the “long-standing religious, historical and legal status of the mosque,” it said.
On Monday, the PA denounced the “invasions” by Jews onto the Temple Mount. In a statement, the PA’s official news agency described the visits as “provocative tours” and said Jewish “settlers” performed religious rituals at the eastern section of the compound.