OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Islamic institutions in occupied Jerusalem have warned against the escalating Israeli raids on the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, adding that such moves aim at changing the status quo at the holy site and blurring the Islamic identity of the holy city.
They condemned in a joint statement on Tuesday the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque by more than 2,000 settlers, led by the far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
On the Jewish alleged anniversary of the so-called “the destruction of the temple”, the Israelis, performed the “epic prostration,” danced and sang, and raised the Israeli flag in the courtyards of the Mosque, in a blatant challenge and provocation to the feelings of Muslims.
The statement was issued by the Jerusalem Islamic Endowments and Affairs Council, the Supreme Islamic Authority, the Palestinian Fatwa House, the Office of the Chief Justice in Jerusalem, the Department of Islamic Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs.
The Islamic institutions warned in their statement of the consequences of the Israeli occupation authorities’ step of enabling hundreds of Jewish extremists, accompanied by ministers, politicians, and Knesset members to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli occupation police.
The statement called on Muslims around the world to mobilize and provide the necessary support to prevent the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is Muslims’ first Qiblah and one of the three holiest mosques in Islam.
On Tuesday, 2,250 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, led by the extremist Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, under heavy protection of Israeli occupation police, to commemorate what they call the anniversary of the “destruction of the temple,” which falls on August 9 according to the Hebrew calendar.
