Arab countries condemn Israeli settlers for video depicting Al-Aqsa destruction

Arab countries have condemned far-right Israeli groups after a video depicting the destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem went viral this week.

Extremist pro-settler social media accounts shared the AI-generated video clip, which shows the mosque bursting into flames before being replaced with the Third Temple.

The video was captioned with the message "Next Year in Jerusalem, Messiah Now". The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam and for years has been a flashpoint for tensions between Palestinians and Israelis.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the video as "systematic incitement to escalate the targeting of Christian and Islamic holy sites in occupied Jerusalem".

Israel's far-right government is becoming emboldened to implement its "expansionist and racist Judaisation plans" because of the failure of the international community to respond to its genocidal assault on Gaza, it said.

Jordan, the custodian of the Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem, joined the Palestinian Authority in denouncing the video, describing it as "extremist, racist incitement" by Israeli settler groups.

The kingdom expresses its "absolute rejection and strong condemnation of this unacceptable incitement", the ministry's spokesperson said in a statement, calling on the international community to respond to the provocations.

Qatar also weighed in on the situation, warning that the provocations could further escalate violence in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"Qatar strongly condemns reports of plans by groups affiliated with Israeli occupation organisations to destroy the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and replace it with the so-called Temple," the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The sharing of the video comes amid increasing provocations on the ground by extremist settlers.

Hundreds of far-right Israelis have stormed the Al-Aqsa compound multiple times in recent days, accompanied by Israeli security forces.

Under a decades-old arrangement, only Muslims are permitted to pray at the site, but since the formation of Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government in 2022, Israel has been undermining the sensitive status quo with increasing regularity.

More than 53,600 Israelis stormed the site in 2024, the highest number since police began giving Jews access more than 20 years ago.

Some 13,000 settlers entered in the first quarter of 2025 alone, according to the Jerusalem governorate.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 war and annexed the city in 1980 in a move considered illegal under international law.