Malaysia on Wednesday condemned "in the strongest terms" the latest mass incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem by more than a thousand illegal Israeli settlers and senior Israeli officials.
"The deliberate storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque constitutes a grave violation, undermines the established historical and legal status quo of the Holy Site and is a blatant attempt to create a new reality on the ground," said a statement from Kuala Lumpur's foreign ministry.
The repeated incursions by illegal Israeli settlers and senior officials constitute a flagrant violation of international law and the established historical and legal status quo governing the mosque, the statement added.
"These acts are not isolated provocations, but form part of the Zionist Israeli regime’s continued attempts to alter the identity and character of Al-Aqsa Mosque and occupied East Jerusalem," it went on to say.
Malaysia "categorically" rejects any such attempts and stresses that the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the religious rights of Muslim worshippers must be fully respected and upheld.
Kuala Lumpur called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to take "urgent and concrete" action to compel the "Zionist Israeli regime" to immediately cease such deliberate and flagrant violations.
"The Zionist Israeli regime must be held accountable for its continued attempts to undermine the historical and legal status quo at Al-Haram Al-Sharif," the statement further said.
Malaysia reaffirmed its "unwavering" solidarity with the Palestinian people and their inalienable right to self-determination, reiterating its longstanding support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday under the protection of Israeli police during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
