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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Saudi Arabia’s condemnation and denunciation in the strongest terms of the storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque by an official of the Israeli occupation authorities and a group of extremist settlers under the protection of occupation forces. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the ministry described the incursion as a flagrant violation and a provocation to Muslims worldwide. In a statement issued on September 21, 2026, the ministry said Saudi Arabia reiterates its categorical rejection of the provocative practices and illegal and extremist acts of incitement and violence committed by Israeli occupation officials against Palestinians and the holy lands in occupied Palestine.
The ministry further stressed the urgent need for the international community to fulfill its responsibility to stop all such attacks, which violate international law and international humanitarian law. The Saudi Press Agency reported that the statement added the continuation of these assaults without deterrence undermines international and regional efforts aimed at achieving peace and leads to increasing tensions and perpetuation of the cycle of conflict. A November 2025 statement from the ministry carried by the Saudi Press Agency similarly denounced the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, the provocation of worshippers and an assault on the Hajjah Hamidah Mosque in the Palestinian village of Kifl Hares.
That November 2025 statement, according to the Saudi Press Agency, affirmed the Kingdom’s support for the Palestinian people and its continued efforts toward establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions. In April 2026, the Saudi Press Agency reported on a joint statement by foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Türkiye that condemned repeated violations of the historic and legal status quo at Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites. The ministers described continued incursions by Israeli settlers and extremist officials into Al-Aqsa Mosque under Israeli police protection as a flagrant violation of international law and an unacceptable provocation to Muslims around the world.
The April 2026 joint statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency reiterated that the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque amounting to 144 dunams is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims. It identified the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs as the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction to administer the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque and regulate entry. The ministers reaffirmed their categorical rejection of any attempts to alter the historic and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites while recognizing the special role of the historic Hashemite custodianship.
A July 2026 statement from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as distributed by the Saudi Press Agency, strongly rejected and condemned an Israeli official’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque along with the Israeli Knesset’s adoption of a decision rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. The ministry said in that statement that these continued hostile practices toward Islamic sanctities and international resolutions reflect the aggressive approach of the Israeli occupation authorities. The Saudi Press Agency has reported on multiple such condemnations issued by the ministry since 2023, when it denounced an incursion by the Israeli national security minister and a group of settlers.
In the 2023 case, according to the Saudi Press Agency, the ministry stressed that these systematic practices are a flagrant infringement of all international norms and covenants and provoke the feelings of Muslims worldwide. The ministry held the Israeli occupation fully accountable for the repercussions of such continued violations and reiterated its call on the international community to shoulder its responsibility to end the Israeli occupation escalation and provide necessary protection for civilians.
