Occupied Jerusalem: Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the preacher (khatib) of Al-Aqsa Mosque, has expressed serious concern over the increasing settler incursions into the mosque. He warned that Israeli authorities and extremist groups are trying to use religious and seasonal occasions to change the mosque’s current status.
In a statement issued on Thursday, April 23, Sheikh Sabri said that these repeated incursions and provocative actions in the mosque’s courtyards are part of a well-planned scheme. He added that the activities taking place on the occasion of “Independence Day” are neither new nor do they show any signs of stopping.
He alleged that during these incursions, settlers perform Talmudic rituals, wave Israeli flags, and engage in loud chanting and noise, in an attempt to alter the identity of this holy site.
According to the report, on Wednesday there was a large-scale incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque, in which more than 1,250 settlers and tourists forcibly entered the compound under the protection of Israeli security forces. During this time, dancing, singing, group prayers, and other public activities were observed in the compound, carried out on the occasion of “Independence Day” in the Hebrew calendar.
During the incident, one settler waved an Israeli flag near the Dome of the Rock in the western part of the mosque, while several others performed prostration there. Sheikh Sabri described these actions as a serious threat to the sanctity of the mosque and called on the international community to pay attention to this issue.