OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC)– Imam of the Aqsa Mosque and head of the Supreme Islamic Council Dr. Ekrema Sabri condemned the acceleration of Judaization process of the occupied city of Jerusalem. He condemned land appropriation to build settlements as well as the policy of demolishing homes of Palestinians and exiling them.
Sheikh Sabri pointed out the increase in the number of attacks against mosques by Jewish settlers during his Friday sermon today at the Aqsa Mosque.
“The so called mayor of Jerusalem has taken the racist decision of confiscation 740 dunums of land in Eisaweyyah and Tour suburbs in east Jerusalem” he said adding that the land is to be confiscated under the rubric of establishing a national park and nature reserve.
He added that the bitter truth was that the occupation authorities intend to build a settlement on this confiscated land. They also intend to build a military college on the other part.
“This way the occupation authorities can establish a new circle around Jerusalem while residents of Eisaweyyah suffer from a shortage in housing because it has been surrounded from all sides” he said adding that 96% of the land of Eisaweyyah has been confiscated leaving Palestinians with only 4% of their land.
He described the confiscation of land by the occupation as arbitrary oppressive and illegal stressing that Palestinians have the right to use their own land. He further stressed that the measures taken by the occupation authorities were racist as they are building settlements for Jews who are brought from all over the world while the indigenous population is being denied the right to build on their own land.
He also referred to the fact that the Israeli occupation is trying to reduce the number of Palestinians inside Jerusalem by isolating a number of populated suburbs of Jerusalem outside the apartheid wall which will deny about 70000 Jerusalemites their right to residence in the holy city and thus instantly change its demography.
He also said that the ID cards of 14000 Jerusalem residents have been withdrawn by the occupation authorities while giving Jewish settlers a free hand.
Sheikh Sabri pointed out that the onslaught against Palestinians has reached the stage of settlers calling for a ban on Athan at the pretext that it disturbs them which he said is a Muslim religious rite that has been performed in Jerusalem and Palestine over the past 15 centuries.
“Raising the Athan is our right. We will not stop raising the Athan and we say clearly: anyone who gets disturbed by the Athan can go back to where s/he came from” he said.
