Meanwhile, on Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal. 

Qatar has condemned the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, on Thursday under the protection of occupation authorities, while also slamming the Knesset’s approval of a draft law rejecting Palestine’s statehood.

In a statement on Thursday, Qatar’s foreign ministry warned of the continuation of Israel’s “escalatory policy” in occupied Palestinian territories “and its impact on expanding the circle of violence in the region.”

Qatar, a central mediator between Israel and Hamas, also warned of Israel’s policies that are “undermining efforts for a two-state solution.”

“It [Qatar’s foreign ministry] also stresses that the repeated attempts to undermine the religious and historical status of the Al Aqsa mosque is not only an attack on the Palestinians, but on more than two billion Muslims around the world,” the statement said.

The statement reiterated Qatar’s “firm position on the justice of the Palestinian issue” and its support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Ben-Gvir had stormed the holy Al Aqsa Mosque on Thursday morning under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, enabling him to freely wander around the Muslim site.

Sources on the ground told Palestine’s news agency, Wafa, that Palestinian worshippers were denied entry into the mosque. The latest move also marked Ben-Gvir’s third such raid in Al Aqsa Mosque in less than a year in an ongoing attempt by Israel to change its status quo.

Such incidents bring back similar scenes from 2000, when former Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, stormed the Muslim site in a move that sparked the second Intifada, or Palestinian uprising.

Also on Thursday, the Israeli Knesset approved a draft resolution that completely rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state. The move came after a decision in February by the Knesset that rejected the “unilateral” international recognition of the Palestinian state.

“The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel would constitute an existential threat to the State of Israel and its citizens, and would lead to the perpetuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilise the region,” the resolution states.

The head of the Official Right Party, Gideon Sa’ar, said that the resolution “aims to express the comprehensive opposition that exists among the Israeli people to the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel’s security and future.”

Israel has long perceived the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as a threat to its existence after it illegally occupied the land in 1948 in what became widely known as the Nakba, or catastrophe.

During the Nakba, Israel forcibly displaced and killed Palestinians to establish a Jewish state, marking the beginning of the illegal occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians that persisted for 76 years.

Commenting on the Knesset’s latest decision, Palestine’s presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh stressed that there will be no peace or security globally without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“He pointed out that these decisions confirm the insistence of Israel and its ruling coalition to push the entire region into the abyss, holding the United States responsible, due to its bias and unlimited support,” Wafa reported, citing Abu Rudeineh.

Israel has intensified its policies and violations of Palestinians’ rights following the beginning of its genocidal war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. 

Since the beginning of the war, Israel has killed at least 38,848 people, mostly women and children, in the Gaza Strip and displaced at least 1.9 million people out of the 2.1 million population.

The brutal onslaught in the Gaza Strip also saw an increase in raids in the occupied West Bank, where Israel detained more than 9,720 Palestinians, including former detainees and children. 

Israel has also killed at least 576 Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of the war in the besieged enclave.

ICJ rules in favour of Palestine

Meanwhile, on Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal. 

The ruling came after a 2022 request by the UN General Assembly that sought the Court’s opinion on the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Qatar was among the majority of 98 countries that voted in favour of the UNGA resolution.

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, called on Israel to end its presence on illegally occupied Palestinian territory “as rapidly as possible.” 

While the advisory opinion is non-binding, it has dealt a great blow to Israel’s global reputation given its ongoing occupation of Palestine and violations of Palestinians’ rights.

“Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law,” Nawaf Salam, president of the ICJ, said while reading the advisory opinion.

Salam underlined Israel’s systematic discrimination against Palestinians in the occupied territory.

Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem in a bloody war in 1967, widely known as “the Six-day War” and Naksa, or “setback.” Within six days, Israel captured the majority of Palestine while forcibly displacing at least 300,000 Palestinians.

The current case is separate from the one South Africa had raised last year on whether Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. 

The Court had previously issued provisional measures on January 26, during which it ordered Israel to prevent incitement to commit genocide to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

However, Israel maintained its chokehold over the entry of aid and destroyed the vital Rafah Crossing following its invasion on May 6.