OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic Council in Occupied Jerusalem, has warned that the desecration of the Aqsa Mosque by Jewish settlers and government officials is aimed at changing the holy site’s historical and legal status quo.
In press remarks on Thursday, Sheikh Sabri accused the Israeli occupation authority of exploiting Jewish religious events to impose new faits accomplis inside the Aqsa Mosque compound under police protection.
Sheikh Sabri told Al Jazeera satellite channel that the Israeli police now protect settlers performing religious practices inside the Aqsa Mosque compound while detaining Palestinians who object.
He stressed that such violations at the Aqsa Mosque have become official government policy, actively backed by ministers and Knesset members.
Sheikh Sabri also said that Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s participation in settler break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque is intended to assert Israeli sovereignty over the holy site, incite settlers to defile it, and encourage Jews to migrate to Palestine.
Sheikh Sabri urged Palestinians to intensify their presence at the Aqsa Mosque, and called on Arab and Muslim governments to use their diplomatic and economic tools to pressure Israel to halt its violations at the Aqsa Mosque.
