Religious authorities reject all Israeli measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Palestinian religious authorities in Jerusalem have rejected all of Israel’s measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the holy city of Jerusalem, Felesteen.ps reported on Tuesday.

“Our stance is that worshippers should remain outside [the mosque compound] until we receive a full report about the situation in the mosque,” explained Shaikh Ekrima Sabri. The former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine made his comment after a meeting held on Tuesday morning to discuss the Israeli decision to replace the metal detectors installed at the gates of the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa with advanced CCTV cameras. “The religious authorities in Jerusalem decided to reject all of the measures taken by the Israeli occupation since 14 July,” he added.

The religious authorities which made this decision are the Head of the High Council of Endowments (Waqf) in Jerusalem, Shaikh Abdul Azim Salhab; the Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, Shaikh Mohamed Hussein; the acting Grand Qadi (Islamic judge) in Jerusalem, Shaikh Wasif Bakri; and Shaikh Sabri, who is the Head of the High Islamic Commission.

Read:Israel removes metal detectors from Al-Aqsa, replaces with cameras

Hundreds of Palestinians have been performing prayers at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the roads and alleyways leading to the sanctuary since 14 July. A number have been killed and many more have been wounded in clashes with the Israeli police and army.

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After recommendations from Israel’s security and intelligence services, the cabinet decided to replace the metal detectors with “security measures based on advanced technology – smart checks – and other measures.”