Qatar slams Israeli court decision to allow Jewish worship at Al-Aqsa amid continued raids by extremists

Qatar on Monday evening condemned an Israeli court decision to allow open Jewish prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as Israeli extremists stormed the Muslim holy site yet again.

A Qatari statement said that the Gulf country "denounces in the strongest terms the decision of the Israeli court to allow settlers to perform Talmudic rituals openly in the courtyard of the Noble Al-Aqsa".

"This is an open insult to the feelings of Muslims around the world, and a flagrant challenge to international law and international resolutions".

Jews currently are not permitted to pray openly at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in line with long-standing convention, but the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Sunday ruled that "all residents of Israel could enter the Temple Mount and perform their religious rituals," using the Israeli term for the mosque.

While the Israeli government said that it would appeal the ruling and that there would be no change to the current status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israeli settlers and extremists have stormed the mosque's courtyard in increasing numbers recently, performing provocative rituals.

Some of the Israeli extremists wish to demolish the mosque – which is considered Islam's third holiest house of worship – and build a Jewish temple believed to have existed there in ancient times.

The Qatari foreign ministry called on the international community to immediately intervene to prevent the Israeli court's ruling and maintain the religious and historical status quo at Al-Aqsa.

On Tuesday morning, dozens of settlers under the protection of Israeli security forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Islamic Waqf (Religious Endowment) in Jerusalem said in a statement that several rabbis took part in the storming and that Jewish rituals were performed in the mosque courtyard.

Settlers also stormed the mosque's courtyard on Monday.

Ziyad Abhis, a Palestinian researcher specialised in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, told The New Arab's Arabic-language service that the settlers "were trying to use the court's decision" to perform open and provocative Jewish rituals at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

On Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the Israeli court's decision "a blatant declaration of a religious war which could inflame the whole region".