A coalition of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers has reached an agreement to implement a permanent mechanism designed to track and publicize Israeli actions within occupied East Jerusalem. The initiative, formalized during a meeting in Jordan on Wednesday, aims to document violations occurring at both Islamic and Christian holy sites.
The joint declaration outlines the creation of a dedicated media platform tasked with broadcasting reports on Israeli conduct toward worshippers and religious landmarks. This information will be disseminated to international organizations and the global public to increase awareness of the situation. Participants in the meeting included members of the Arab ministerial committee on Jerusalem, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and representatives from Turkiye, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Collectively, they demanded immediate international intervention to halt Israeli measures.
Officials issued a stark warning regarding the status of the city, stating, “Jerusalem is in escalating danger, and its Islamic and Christian sanctuaries are threatened as never before.” The declaration further condemned Israeli policies as illegal, arguing that they seek to alter the city’s demographic, legal, and Arab-Islamic-Christian identity through land annexation, property confiscation, and the expansion of settlements.
The ministers specifically denounced attempts to impose spatial and temporal divisions at religious sites, which they argue disrupt the historical and legal status quo. Regarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the group stated that provocative policies are undermining the site’s Islamic identity through systematic and unprecedented assaults. The new monitoring mechanism will focus on gathering evidence of settler incursions, restrictions placed on worshippers, interference with the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, and ongoing excavations near the site.
Christian institutions and clergy also face significant challenges, according to the ministers. The declaration highlighted restrictions on access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, interference in church administration, and attacks on religious symbols and worshippers. The statement noted that “Christian clergy are suffering from the brutality of extremists, and churches are confronting attempts to seize their funds and lands through illegitimate laws enacted by Israel.”
To maintain momentum, the participants have called for a joint ministerial meeting between the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States. This session is scheduled to take place in New York this September during the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level leaders week, where officials plan to discuss further developments regarding the protection of Jerusalem’s religious heritage.
