Saudi Arabia condemns Israel after Jews 'storm' Temple Mount

Saudi Arabia condemned "Israeli occupation forces' storming of al-Aqsa Mosque" early on Monday afternoon after Jews visited the Temple Mount on Sunday as part of Rosh Hashanah celebrations.

The Jews made the pilgrimage to the mount on Sunday evening accompanied by heavy security detail. 

The kingdom's foreign ministry wrote that it "condemns and denounces the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by a group of extremists under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces."

#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation and denunciation of the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by a group of extremists under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces. pic.twitter.com/PYprOJDVrF

— Foreign Ministry (@KSAmofaEN) September 17, 2023

Riyadh added that it holds Israel "fully responsible for the repercussions of these continued violations and stresses its call on the international community to assume its responsibilities to end the escalation of the Israeli occupation."

Is the Israel-Saudi normalization deal dead in the water?

The Saudi Arabian condemnation comes as Arab media reported Riyadh had informed the Biden administration of its decision to halt all talks of normalizing ties with Israel on Sunday.

According to the unconfirmed report, Riyadh issued a message through the US, explaining that the “extremist” nature of Israel’s right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “torpedoing any possibility of rapprochement with the Palestinians, and thus with the Saudis,” as per Elaph.