Israel has begun dividing Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by creating a prayer space for Jewish worshippers, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has warned.
“The placement of a glass room inside the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex is a first step toward the spatial division of the mosque,” Ahmad al-Ruwaidhi, the OIC’s representative in Palestine, said at press conference.
The move, he asserted, “follows the imposition of a temporal division [by Israel] in the form of daily incursions [into Al-Aqsa] by Jewish settlers”.
What’s more, the move reveals “Israel’s intention to dedicate a place for Talmudic rituals inside the Al-Haram al-Sharif,” al-Ruwaidhi said, using the Arabic term for the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
ISNA news agency:
Israeli authorities began to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque— Forsan_uae_EN (@Fnews_english) March 2, 2017
The OIC representative also warned of the dangers posed by Israeli excavations that are reportedly being carried out under the holy site.
In light of these excavations, al-Ruwaidhi said, “we fear the Al-Aqsa Mosque could collapse in the event of a natural – or artificial – earthquake”.
“Claims put forward this week by the Israeli magistrate’s court – that Al-Aqsa is a holy place for Jews – is completely false and not supported by evidence,” Sheikh Muhammad Hussein said.
