As the world's attention is trained on Islamabad's peace talks and a teetering ceasefire in the Gulf, Pakistan's Foreign Office is also raising its voice over a deeply provocative development in occupied East Jerusalem-the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by illegal Israeli settlers and the raising of the Israeli flag inside its sacred courtyard. The Foreign Office spokesperson said in an official statement that these reprehensible acts constitute a blatant violation of international law, as well as of the sanctity and inviolability of one of Islam's holiest sites. Videos circulating on social media showed settlers performing Talmudic rituals and prayers aloud inside the compound, while photos showed two settlers raising the Israeli flag with the Dome of the Rock visible in the background. Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has now stormed the compound approximately fourteen times since taking office in 2023, in what Palestinians and much of the international community describe as a systematic and escalating campaign to alter the religious and historical character of the site. Pakistan called on the international community to take all possible measures to protect holy sites under Israeli occupation and to end what it described as the impunity of illegal settlers operating under official state patronage. Islamabad reiterated its unwavering support for the Palestinian people's right to worship and reaffirmed its longstanding position in favour of an independent, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. For Pakistan, the message is consistent whether at the negotiating table in Islamabad or on the world stage, it will not stay silent while international law is trampled and holy sites are desecrated.
