ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS
Holy Temple - model, Israel Museum |
Mufti of Jerusalem: Al-Aqsa is in Danger
Mufti of Jerusalem calls on Muslims to come out en masse to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and "protect" it from "the occupation."
By Dalit Halevi & Elad Benari
First Publish: 9/11/2013, 3:15 AM
Sheikh
Muhammad Hussein, the Mufti of Jerusalem, has warned that comments by the
Israeli Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino, concerning the right of Jews to
enter the Temple Mount and pray there, are “dangerous.”
Hussein
said on Tuesday that Danino’s statements reflect Israel’s true intentions
regarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and therefore must not be ignored.
He
added that the systematic damage done by Israel towards the holy places to
Islam contradicts international law and that Muslims are obligated to protect
the Al-Aqsa Mosque from a Jewish plan to build a Holy Temple on the ruins of
Al-Aqsa.
Hussein
called on Muslims to come to Al-Aqsa en masse and protect it from the alleged
Israeli attack. The whole world, he said, must help the Palestinian Authority
deal with "the aggression of the occupation."
The
remarks come as Fatah’s armed branch, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, has
declared war and announced that it would give the “green light” to
terrorist attacks targeting Israelis beginning on Friday.
Fatah
is headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas who in recent weeks
has been negotiating with Israel for the creation of a PA state.
The
reason given for the planned resumption of open hostilities was Jewish visits
to the Temple Mount, which the group termed, “The invasion of the compound by
hordes of settlers, and the harm to [Muslim] worshipers, with no intervention
from the international community.”
Tensions
have been high on the Temple Mount in recent weeks, with many Jewish visitors
to the holy site reporting harassment and violence at the hands of
groups of Muslims.
The
Temple Mount is the holiest place on earth according to Judaism. The site is
currently run by the Muslim Waqf. Jews are allowed to visit only during limited
hours, and are forbidden to pray on the Mount.
Muslim
leaders have denounced Jewish visits to the Temple Mount and have repeatedly
accused Israel and Jews of attempting to harm the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hussein’s remarks about the
alleged Israeli plan to build a Temple instead of the mosque are a repetition of similar claims made by PA leaders,
including Abbas himself, in the past.
Police
responded to recent Muslim violence by closing the Temple Mount to Jews, a step
commanders argued was necessary in order to keep the peace.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/171791#.Ui_m7RZ6jN4
No comments:
Post a Comment