A senior cleric in Israel said Wednesday that Muslim worshippers will not return to a contested shrine in Jerusalem until newly-installed railings and cameras are removed.
Israel erected the measures after dismantling metal detectors it installed last week at a contested shrine in Jerusalem`s walled Old City known as Haram al-Sharif or the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims and the Temple Mount to Jews.
The detectors, which were placed at the entry gates to the Esplanade of the Mosques after Arab-Israeli gunmen killed two Israeli police guards at the shrine on July 14, incensed the Muslim world and sparked widespread demonstrations among Palestinians.
The compound houses the Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques. On Friday, thousands of Muslim worshippers prayed outside the Old City instead of at the shrine in protest.
Ikrema Sabri, the head of the Supreme Islamic Committee in Jerusalem, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the mass prayer protests would continue until the compound`s gates were opened, metal railings and an iron bridge removed and the cameras taken down.
About 50,000 Muslim worshippers typically descend on the Old City for prayers every Friday.
Sabri said a lawyer working on behalf of the Muslim administration of the holy site will be in touch with Israeli police to make the demands.
“We will not enter the mosque until these things are implemented,” he told the AP. “Now we are awaiting the response of the police.”
Israel has said the security measures are necessary to prevent further attacks, but Palestinians believe Israel is trying to expand its control over the site, which is administered by Jordan.
The shrine is the third-holiest site in Islam and the most sacred in Judaism.
READ MORE:
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2vZD20h.
0 comments:
Post a Comment