Malé, Maldives – The invasion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli forces on Tuesday night, which resulted in injuries to worshippers and damage to the mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, has been strongly denounced by the Maldives government.
The Israeli forces’ actions in storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque, causing injuries to worshippers and damage to the mosque, are not only a violation of international law but also contradict relevant resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly.
The people and Government of Maldives express solidarity with Palestine and extend their support towards their rightful and legitimate struggle to achieve a free, independent, and sovereign state.
Statement by the Foreign Ministry read that Maldives reiterates its steadfast commitment to working closely with the international community to advocate for the cause of Palestinians, with the objective of attaining a lasting and peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Government also stated that it is crucial to recognize that a two-state solution, which includes an independent and sovereign State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, can only bring about a lasting and peaceful resolution to the conflict. Therefore, it is imperative for all parties involved to work towards realizing this objective.
The Al-Aqsa compound sits on a plateau in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move not recognised by most in the international community. For Muslims, the compound hosts Islam’s third-holiest site, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, a seventh-century structure believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
The compound is also where Jews believe the Biblical Jewish temples once stood and is known to them as Temple Mount. Palestinians see Al-Aqsa as one of the few national symbols over which they retain some element of control.
They are, however, fearful of a slow encroachment by Jewish groups akin to what happened at the Ibrahimi Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron, where half of the mosque was turned into a synagogue after 1967. Palestinians are also worried about far-right Israeli movements that want to demolish the Islamic structures in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and build a Jewish temple there.
