Al-Azhar renews calls to reject changing status quo at Al-Aqsa

The Egypt-based religious institution Al-Azhar Al-Sharif yesterday renewed its rejection of the ​​temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque that Israel is seeking to impose.

The comments came following a meeting held between Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Dr Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Al-Azhar Sheikh and the Palestinian President’s Advisor for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Dr Mahmoud Al-Habbash. Held in Cairo, the meeting addressed developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, in particular events at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In a statement released following the talks, Al-Tayeb called on “peace-loving states” to “stand by the Palestinian people and to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque from the repeated attacks.”

He said that he “rejects the idea of a ​​temporal and spatial division of the holy mosque, as it is a purely Islamic mosque.” He noted that non-Muslims “do not have the right to conduct their own religious rites” at Al-Aqsa or impose their control over it.

Palestinians believe Israel is working to divide Al-Aqsa based on space and times, to offer times for Muslim worshippers and Jews.

Since the first of October, the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip have been experiencing clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces that broke out after Jewish settlers repeatedly stormed Al-Aqsa under the protection of the Israeli army and police.