ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar left for Jordan on Tuesday to attend a ministerial meeting on Jerusalem, as Arab and Muslim countries step up diplomatic efforts over escalating tensions at the city’s contested holy sites and the ongoing war in Gaza.
The meeting, to be held in Amman on Wednesday, has been convened by Jordan following what it describes as increasingly serious Israeli actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, one of Islam’s holiest sites. Jordan has warned that attempts to alter the long-standing arrangements governing the site could inflame tensions across the region.
Jerusalem has become an increasingly sensitive flashpoint during the nearly three-year Gaza war, which has devastated the Palestinian enclave and fueled wider regional tensions. Violence has also surged in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israel has expanded military operations and settlement activity, drawing international criticism.
Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel, has consistently backed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and has repeatedly condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza and actions it says undermine the historical and legal status of Jerusalem’s holy sites.
“During the visit, the DPM/FM will reaffirm Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their just cause,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
“He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with participating Foreign Ministers and exchange views on regional and international developments.”
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Muslims as Haram Al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount, is one of the world’s most sensitive religious sites. Under arrangements in place since Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, Jordan retains custodianship of the site’s Islamic holy places through the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, while Israel controls overall security. The arrangement allows Muslims to worship at the site, while non-Muslims may visit during designated hours.
Jordan has called Wednesday’s meeting after accusing Israeli authorities and far-right politicians of undermining that status quo through repeated visits and religious activities at the compound. It has urged coordinated Arab and Islamic action to preserve the site’s historical and legal status and prevent further escalation.
Pakistan has repeatedly aligned itself with Jordan and other Muslim-majority countries in condemning Israeli actions in Jerusalem. In recent months, Islamabad joined several Arab and Islamic states in joint statements rejecting attempts to alter the status quo at the Al-Aqsa compound and reaffirming Jordan’s custodianship over the holy sites.
