OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
The preacher of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ikrema Sabri, has said that the continued closure of the holy mosque by the Israeli occupation constitutes a blatant violation of its sanctity and is a “bizarre and abnormal act.”
In a press statement on Tuesday, Sheikh Sabri said that the ongoing closure of Al-Aqsa means depriving thousands of Muslims of praying there while allowing settlers to storm and desecrate it. He condemned this as unacceptable and inconsistent with freedom of worship and international law.
He pointed out that the Israeli measures and restrictions against Al-Aqsa began with the war on the Gaza Strip and are still ongoing. He explained that the occupation is besieging Jerusalem and its Old City and is preventing Palestinians from entering it.
He added, “No country in the world closes places of worship, except the occupation authorities, due to their desire to control Al-Aqsa Mosque. But these measures will not grant the Jews any right to the Mosque.”
He affirmed that Israel is trying to impose a new reality in Al-Aqsa by asserting its “sovereignty” over the Mosque, stripping the Islamic Waqf Department of its administrative powers, and tightening restrictions on its guards.
Sheikh Sabri warned of the grave dangers surrounding Al-Aqsa and the Israeli efforts to implement them. He stressed the need to confront them by flocking to the Mosque and breaking the siege imposed on it.
The preacher of Al-Aqsa called on Muslims and the people of Jerusalem to head to the Mosque regardless of Israeli restrictions or difficult circumstances, in order to protect it and defend it against the Israeli schemes.
The occupation authorities continue to close Al-Aqsa Mosque, attempting to take full control of it by force, through preventing worshippers from entering and praying in its courtyards.
Last Sunday morning, the occupation authorities once again closed Al-Aqsa completely and forced worshippers out after having reopened it partially and allowed a limited number of people to access it.
This renewed closure comes just three days after the Mosque was partially reopened, with the number of worshippers restricted to 500, following its closure on Friday, June 13, which coincided with the start of the assault on Iran.
Israeli police imposed further restrictions on the entry of Palestinians into the Old City, allowing only its residents to enter through military checkpoints placed at its entrances, which also led to the closure of commercial shops.
