Pakistan condemns Israeli settler incursions at Al-Aqsa

At a ministerial meeting in Amman, Jordan, on August 5, 2026, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar strongly condemned continued incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremist Israeli settlers, carried out under the protection of Israeli forces and encouraged by senior Israeli ministers. Dar declared that Israel has no sovereignty over Occupied East Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and that all measures altering their status are null and void. He reaffirmed Pakistan's support for Jordan's Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem holy sites and recognized the Palestine — Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department as the sole legal authority over the mosque. Dar expressed deep concern over illegal Israeli settlements, settler violence, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza, noting that since the ceasefire over 1,100 Palestinians had been killed and 59% of the population faces crisis-level food insecurity. He called for Arab and Islamic unity, an immediate halt to violations at Al-Aqsa, rejection of settlements and annexation, and full implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan. On the sidelines, Dar held bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, and Somalia, and participated in a meeting of the R-4 Group (Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey), which reaffirmed support for Palestinian self-determination and a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as capital.