Muslim nations criticise Israel for Al-Aqsa Mosque Ramadan closure

Eight Islamic and Arab countries on Thursday condemned Israel for keeping Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem closed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israel has shut all holy sites in east Jerusalem's Old City for security reasons after it began airstrikes with the United States against Iran that have sparked a regional war.

The closure coincides with Ramadan, when tens of thousands of Palestinian Muslims would normally pray every Friday at the mosque -- the third holiest site in Islam.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar said continuing to restrict access was "illegal and unjustified" and "provocative" against worshippers.

In a joint statement, they said it was "a flagrant violation to international law... and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship".

Police announced last Monday that all holy sites in the Old City, including the Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Temple Mount Complex and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, would remain closed "to safeguard public safety and human life".

Israel occupied east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it in a move that is not internationally recognised.

Since the start of the war, the Israeli authorities have for security reasons barred access to the Old City for anyone other than residents or shopowners.

The eight foreign ministers said that "Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites" and urged the government to lift the ban on access.