Palestinian Islamic leader issues fatwa calling for Eid prayers outside Al-Aqsa Mosque
A leading Palestinian Islamic cleric has issued a fatwa calling for Eid prayers outside Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, after access to the site was blocked by the Israelis.
Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, a preacher at the mosque and a member of the Islamic Waqf Department, said all Muslims should attend the Friday event and pray at the nearest possible location to the site, considered one of the holiest in Islam.
“It has become clear to everyone that the closure of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque since the beginning of the war on Iran carries Israeli political goals and agendas, related to an attempt to exploit this major regional event in order to push Judaisation plans on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque,” said Khaled Zabarqa, Sabri’s lawyer, speaking to Middle East Eye.
“Therefore, the Israeli occupation’s pretext that it closed Al-Aqsa for security reasons to protect people’s lives is a false and fabricated excuse and an attempt to mislead public opinion.”
Al-Aqsa Mosque, which Jews regard as the Temple Mount and the most sacred place in Judaism, has long been a flashpoint site in occupied East Jerusalem.
While the official position of the Chief Rabbinate has long been that Jews may not enter the site until it is religiously ordained, some Jewish groups have demanded access to Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers and even the construction of the Third Temple there.
Many Palestinians fear that restrictions on Muslim access to the site are a precursor to increasing Jewish worship and even demolishing the mosque in part or completely.
Middle East Eye reported on Monday that the Israeli authorities were planning to close the site, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 war, on Eid al-Fitr, a move that would provoke outrage from Muslim worshippers.
Sources familiar with the mosque’s affairs said Israeli authorities informed the Islamic Waqf, the body responsible for administering the site, of the decision in recent days.
This would mark the first Ramadan since 1967 that Palestinians have been unable to perform Friday prayers at the mosque.
The site was closed by Israeli authorities earlier this month, citing the “security situation” amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. Despite this, Palestinians have attempted to pray near the site each night, provoking violent responses from the Israeli police.
Last week, eight Muslim-majority countries condemned the “unjustified” closure, saying Israel has “no sovereignty” over the revered site and must lift the restrictions immediately.
However, the closure has continued unchecked. Friday prayers and Ramadan night prayers remain banned, and Palestinians have been barred from reaching the site, with a heavy presence of Israeli forces in the Old City.
Since the closure, no more than 25 Waqf staff members have been allowed inside the vast mosque complex per shift.
Zabarqa said Sabri’s authority was such that praying near the mosque would be considered, in religious terms, equivalent to praying inside it.
“This fatwa is very important, and also for all those who seek reward and blessings, especially during these virtuous days, there is an opportunity for them to gain reward and blessings,” he said.
“Ultimately, God Almighty is the one who manages affairs and protects the holy sites and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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