Mufti of Palestine: Israeli occupation continues to weaken the Aqsa Mosque's foundations

Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, warned off the consequences of the excavations carried out by the Israeli authorities under the Aqsa Mosque’s walls, Jerusalem’s Old City, and its environs, pointing out that those actions are intended to weaken the foundations of the Aqsa Mosque and ultimately demolish it.

Sheikh Hussein said, in a statement to Quds Press, “There are continuous excavations that have been expanded in recent times to include multiple locations at the same time on the pretext of searching for an imaginary history that does not exist,” noting that the goal of these excavations is “to weaken the foundations of the Aqsa Mosque, force its collapse and establish the alleged third temple.”

He added that the landslides that have occurred recently, in the Bab Hata area of the northern wall of the Aqsa Mosque, have exposed new Israeli excavations. Hussein pointed out that while the occupation authorities are busy digging up the Aqsa walls, they prevent the conduct of much needed renovation work on the Mosque and its rundown facilities.

Hussein stressed that the occupation policy “is not only working on excavations, but rather on Judaizing the Holy City and the confiscation and demolition of its houses.” He called upon the upcoming Arab summit to support Jerusalem and its holy sites. He also urged the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), the Jerusalem Foundation and all the relevant international organizations to exert more pressure on the occupation authorities to stop the excavations, which have become a real threat to both the holy sites and the Palestinian citizens.