This week, Palestinian and Arabic-language media outlets reported that Israeli settlers burned and threw away a copy of the Quran.

Qatar on Wednesday strongly condemned the storming of settlers into the courtyard of the Al Aqsa mosque, where they performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of the Israeli occupation police.

The statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign affairs stressed that the continuous storming of Al Aqsa mosque “clearly reveals the desire of the occupation to direct the conflict into a religious war, and stressed the need for the international community to shoulder its moral and legal responsibilities towards Jerusalem and its holy sites.”

For the second day in a row, right-wing Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir and dozens of Israeli extremists stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa mosque.

It comes two days after Jordan Peterson, a controversial Canadian author and clinical psychologist, joined over 1,032 settlers in raiding the Al-Aqsa mosque compound alongside Israeli soldiers.

According to local witnesses, dozens of settlers led by Ben-Gvir raided the Islamic holy site, took provocative tours, and performed Talmudic rituals in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which continues until 17 October.

The settlers were under the protection of heavily armed Israeli police, who prevented Palestinians from entering the holy site to perform their Islamic prayers. 

Palestinian holy sites have been subject to an increased number of raids by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem since the last week of September, coinciding with Jewish holidays, including the Rosh Hashanah new year.

Settlers frequently raid places of worship, assault Palestinian worshippers, and commit other offensive acts throughout the year.

The ministry further reiterated its support for the Palestinian people, in their right to justice and the right to establish an independent state as per the 1967 borders.

Qatar is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause.

During his speech at this year’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani highlighted key issues concerning the Middle East region, chief of which was Palestine.

Amir Tamim renewed the need to implement international resolutions and press Israel to end its illegal occupation.

“The Palestinian cause is still unresolved,  and  in  light  of  the  failure  to  implement  the  resolutions  of  international  legitimacy and with the persistent change of facts on the ground the settler  occupation  has pursued  a  fait  accompli  policy,” said Sheikh Tamim.

The leader renewed Qatar’s full solidarity with Palestinians “in  their  aspiration  for  justice” while calling on the Security  Council to “compel Israel to end the Palestinian territories’ occupation.”