Pakistan, China, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries have condemned a visit by a far-right Israeli minister to Aqsa Mosque as a provocation. The UAE and China have also asked the U.N. Security Council to meet publicly, likely on Thursday.

Israel’s new far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir briefly visited Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a site also revered by Jews, angering the Palestinians and drawing a slew of condemnations.

Ben-Gvir’s actions drew fierce condemnation across the world, with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE joining the Palestinians in condemning him. The Palestinian leadership called the intrusion “an unprecedented provocation”.

The Palestinian foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and views it as an unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the conflict”.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the visit as ‘insensitive and provocative.’

“Pakistan strongly condemns the insensitive and provocative visit of Israeli Minister of National Security to the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque compound,” the statement said.

“Al-Aqsa is a holy site revered by Muslims around the world. Violation of its sanctity offends the religious sensitivities of Muslims and inflames an already tense situation in the occupied Palestinian territories,” it added.

Pakistan demanded that Israel must cease its illegal actions and respect the sanctity of Muslim religious sites in the occupied Palestinian territories. Pakistan renews its call for a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State, with pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions, the foreign ministry said.