Israel bans Jerusalem Mufti from Al-Aqsa Mosque

On Wednesday, Israeli occupation forces banned Jerusalem’s Mufti Mohamed Hussein, as well as other religious and prominent Palestinian figures, from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The fatwa department of Palestine said in a statement that the ban on the Jerusalem Mufti is yet another example of the strict measures imposed by the Israeli authorities on Palestinians.

The statement reads: “The Israeli occupation forces banned on Wednesday morning the Jerusalem Mufti and other religious and prominent Palestinian figures from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They blocked them at Hetta Gate, one of the Al-Aqsa gates, while they facilitated the entrance of extremist Jews.”

The fatwa department condemned the “arbitrary” measures practiced against Palestinian worshipers from inside and outside of Jerusalem.

The statement also called upon the international community to take measures to curb Israeli actions hindering Palestinians’ access to their religious sites in Jerusalem, and appealed to Arabic and Islamic bodies to put pressure on the Israelis to allow Palestinians free access to places of worship in the holy city and other occupied lands.