Abbas’ advisor calls on Muslims worldwide “to defend the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Israeli occupation's plots and its barbaric attacks”, Jews visiting the holy site are “terrorist colonialists who are desecrating” it

Headline: "Al-Habbash calls on Muslims to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the occupation and its terrorist colonialists"

"Supreme Shari'ah Judge of Palestine and [PA] President [Mahmoud Abbas’] Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash called on Muslims throughout the world to defend the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Israeli occupation's plots and its barbaric attacks, of which the world saw another chapter of its racism today [Aug, 11, 2019] with its break-in to the [Al-Aqsa] Mosque and its attack against the worshippers there (referring to Israelis entering the Temple Mount on Tisha B'Av, Muslim riots there for the express purpose of preventing them from entering it, and Israel's response to the riots; see note below –Ed.).

In a press statement today (Sunday), Al-Habbash requested that the Muslims in all of the world's states make a pilgrimage to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and carry out Ribat(i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic) there with their Palestinian brothers in order to participate with them in the battle to defend the sanctity of the First Direction of Prayer (i.e., Jerusalem) and the third holiest site against the criminal attack that is being committed by the occupation state and terrorist colonialists who are desecrating the plazas of the Jerusalem Noble Sanctuary (i.e., the Temple Mount) since the morning in a blatant blow to Muslims’ sensibilities on their blessed Eid Al-Adha day (i.e., “the Sacrifice Feast”)."

Mahmoud Al-Habbash also holds the position of Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Justice.

Break-in/Invasion/attack of Al-Aqsa Mosque - The PA and its leaders misrepresent all of the Temple Mount as an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Therefore, they vilify any presence of Jews on the mount as an "invasion." It should be noted that Jews who visit the Temple Mount only enter some sections of the open areas, and do not enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock. Israeli police ban Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount because of threats of violence by Palestinians.

Tisha B'Av 2019 – Muslims rioted on the Temple Mount on Aug. 11, 2019, for the express purpose of preventing Jews from going up to the site on Tisha B'Av (see note below), and were explicitly incited to do so by PA leaders such as PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash, who two days prior posted a call on his Facebook page for Muslims in Jerusalem to postpone their holiday observance to the second day of the holiday so that "people will be available to carry out Ribat at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to resist the Israeli plan to invade the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first day of the holiday (i.e. Tisha B' Av)," adding "Our mosque is our Ribat and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is our Jihad."

Tisha B'Av - Jewish day of mourning commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem (586 BCE and 70 CE) and the forced exile of most of the Jewish people from the land of Israel.