Israel bans Al-Aqsa imam from entering mosque for mourning Hamas chief

Israeli police have issued a six-month ban on Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, the Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site in occupied Jerusalem.

The ban stops him from entering the mosque compound and its surrounding courtyards.

The decision, announced on Thursday morning, was confirmed by Sheikh Sabri’s lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa, in a press statement.

The ban follows Sheikh Sabri’s arrest last Friday after delivering a sermon at Al-Aqsa Mosque, during which he mourned the death of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.

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Although he was released shortly after, the ban was formally imposed on him yesterday.

The Council of Islamic Endowments and Holy Sites in Jerusalem has strongly condemned the ban.

In a press release, the council criticised the Israeli authorities for the ban on Dr Ekrema Sabri, a member of the council and a prominent figure, from entering the mosque for six months.

The council reaffirmed its position that Muslims hold exclusive rights to Al-Aqsa Mosque, including its entire 144-dunam area, all its places of worship, buildings, courtyards, walls and access routes.

It emphasised that no authority has the right to prevent any Muslim from accessing the mosque to pray and fulfill their religious obligations.

The council underscored that the measures against its members will not deter them from their duty to defend and protect Al-Aqsa Mosque.

It reiterated that the mosque is an exclusively Islamic holy site for Muslims, under the guardianship of King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, who oversees the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

Israel has occupied Palestine’s West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967.

Palestinians fear that Israeli officials will eventually try to either replace the mosque with a Jewish temple or divide the holy place between Muslims and Jews in terms of time and space available.

Israel settlers and authorities have long sought to transform East Jerusalem from a Palestinian Muslim and Christian area into a Jewish area.

Threats to the sanctity of Al-Aqsa are a major issue for many Palestinians and Muslims around the world. (The New Arab)