Senior Muslim cleric warns any Israeli temple in Al-Aqsa Mosque will ignite regional war
The Islamic authority that oversees Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem al-Quds warns that any Israeli action against the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its structure will trigger an all-out religious war in the region.
Sheikh Abdel Azeem Salhab, head of the Islamic Waqf (Endowment) organization, made the remarks on Thursday after Jewish settler groups requested to build a temple in place of the Dome of the Rock prayer building at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In a press release, Sheikh Salhab strongly denounced the request as a reflection of “very dangerous intents against the Islamic holy site”, the Palestinian Information Center reported.
The senior Muslim cleric also described such intents as “part of repeated Israeli attempts to violate the Islamic sanctity of the Aqsa Mosque and provoke the Muslim nation’s feelings.”
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound sits just above the Western Wall plaza and houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
“Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its buildings, courtyards, walls, and its 144-dunum land is a purely Islamic holy site and a red line that can never be divided or shared,” Sheikh Salhab insisted.
Palestinians have long been wary of Israeli attempts to change the status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is Islam’s third holiest site and where only Muslim prayers are allowed under the status quo reaffirmed in 1967 between Israel and Jordan.
The holy compound is administered by the Islamic Waqf (Endowment) organization on behalf of Jordan and Palestine. Non-Muslims can visit the site, but cannot pray there.
The status quo is based on the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s declaration in 1967 that Jews are not allowed to the compound as it would desecrate the site's holiness.
However, Israeli settlers, escorted by the regime’s military, frequently desecrate the site by forcefully entering and praying there.
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