UAE condemns Al Aqsa flag incident

UAE authorities have condemned the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers and the raising of the Israeli flag inside its courtyards, calling the incident a provocative act that threatens to inflame tensions in Jerusalem and across the wider region.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the entry of settlers into the mosque compound under Israeli police protection, coupled with the flag-raising, violated the historical and legal status quo governing one of Islam’s holiest sites. Abu Dhabi urged respect for the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque and called for full protection of Islamic holy places in Jerusalem, where religious sensitivities remain closely tied to wider Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

The UAE also reaffirmed support for Jordan’s custodial role over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, a position that has become central to Arab diplomacy on the issue. The Hashemite custodianship, exercised through the Jerusalem Waqf, is widely viewed in the region as a key safeguard for the arrangements at Al Haram Al Sharif, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

The ministry placed responsibility on Israeli authorities to halt actions that could worsen instability and urged de-escalation at a time when Jerusalem remains a flashpoint for competing national, religious and political claims. It said practices that breach international legitimacy and signed agreements must be rejected, while calling again for efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state through a comprehensive peace process based on the two-state solution.

Al Aqsa Mosque sits in occupied East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed in a move not recognised by most of the international community. The compound is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest site in Judaism, making any change in access, symbols or security arrangements highly sensitive. Under the long-standing status quo, non-Muslims are permitted to visit at specific times, while Muslim prayer rights are preserved under Waqf administration.

Arab governments have increasingly warned that repeated settler incursions, police-backed visits by far-right figures and visible nationalist displays inside the compound risk eroding those understandings. The UAE’s statement follows a series of regional condemnations this year over actions at the mosque compound, including objections to flag displays and visits by Israeli political figures who have advocated a change in prayer rules.

The incident has sharpened focus on the role of Israeli police at the site. Israeli authorities have generally argued that security deployments are intended to maintain order and manage access, particularly during periods of heightened tension. Palestinians, Jordan and several Arab states view such deployments differently, saying police protection for settler groups enables provocations and undermines Muslim worshippers’ rights.

Jerusalem’s holy sites have long served as a trigger for wider unrest. Clashes around Al Aqsa have preceded major escalations in the past, including waves of violence across East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza. That history explains the forceful diplomatic language from Abu Dhabi and other Arab capitals, which see symbolic actions inside the compound as capable of rapidly spilling beyond the city.

The UAE’s position also reflects the delicate balance it has tried to maintain since normalising relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020. Abu Dhabi has kept diplomatic and economic ties with Israel while continuing to criticise actions it says threaten Palestinian rights or the sanctity of Jerusalem’s holy sites. Its latest statement signals that engagement with Israel has not muted its objections to measures viewed across the Arab and Muslim world as altering conditions at Al Aqsa.

Jordan’s role remains central to the diplomatic response. Amman considers custodianship of Jerusalem’s holy sites a core national and religious responsibility, and any challenge to that role is treated as a direct threat to regional stability. UAE backing for Jordan therefore carries both symbolic and strategic significance, aligning Abu Dhabi with a broader Arab position that rejects unilateral moves in Jerusalem.

The flag-raising has also added pressure on international actors to respond more clearly to developments at the site. Calls for de-escalation have gained urgency as the war in Gaza, settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and political pressures inside Israel continue to feed mistrust. For Arab governments, protecting the mosque compound is not only a religious matter but also part of a wider diplomatic effort to prevent a collapse of any remaining pathway to negotiated peace.