Israel occupation arrests Al-Aqsa Mosque cleric

The Israeli forces arrested Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, president of the Supreme Islamic Council and cleric of Al-Aqsa Mosque, after storming his house in occupied Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Information Centre (PIC).

The occupation forces have stormed Sheikh Sabri’s house several times and removed him from Al-Aqsa under the pretext of inciting citizens to pray in the mosque.

Sheikh Sabri has rejected any Israeli measures to restrict prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque and called on: “Our fellow Palestinians to prepare themselves to defend Al-Aqsa from any threats in the coming days.”

Sheikh Sabri is 79 years old and was born in Qalqilya. He is the cleric of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the former grand mufti of Jerusalem and co-founder and president of the Supreme Islamic Council.

On Friday morning, the occupation forces prevented Palestinian citizens from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque and arrested Jerusalemite Hanadi Al-Halawani, a teacher at Al-Aqsa Mosque schools, while she was at the Bab Al-Asbat area. Al-Halawani is one of a group of Palestinians who voluntarily remains at Al-Aqsa Mosque to supervise, in an endeavour to stop Israel’s effort to Judaise the site.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is facing Judaisation plans, as the temple organisations called to storm and occupy the holy site, and divide prayer time and space between Muslims and Jews.

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