Israeli Troops Arrest Al-Aqsa Mosque Cleric
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – 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 (al-Quds).
According to the Palestinian Information Centre, the Israeli troops 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 said, “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 Judaize the site.
On Sunday, Al-Aqsa mosque reopened to worshippers after a two-and-a-half month coronavirus closure, but Muslim authorities imposed some precautions as health officials warn of an uptick in local infections.