Hawzah News Agency – Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, today urged all Palestinians and Muslims who can reach Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to do so and to be present there the longest they can, in order to foil attempts by far-right Zionist organizations planning a mass incursion into the holy site during upcoming Purim holiday.

The Grand Mufti warned in a statement today that settler groups are planning to sing, dance and hold raucous celebrations during their planned mass incursion inside the compound during Purim, in a blatant disrespect of the sanctity of the holy site where these practices are utterly prohibited.

“Insulting the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque is a heinous crime, and is part of [Israeli] efforts to impose a new fait accompli there… All heavenly religions respect the sanctity of holy places that are designated for worship,” said the Grand Mufti.

He added, “International laws and customs also call for respect of other people’s sanctities and holy places. However, the Israeli occupation authorities deny all of that, posing a real danger to the Arab and Islamic presence in Palestine, which necessitates an immediate Arab-Islamic response.”

The Grand Mufti appealed to relevant regional and international bodies and organizations to intervene to stop these Israeli violations which risk pushing the entire region “into a religious war that will spare no one”.