Abbas’ advisor: “It [Israel] was called Palestine, it is called Palestine, and it will be called ‎Palestine”‎

Image and text posted on the Facebook page of ‎Abbas’ advisor, Supreme Shari’ah Judge and ‎Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah ‎Justice Mahmoud Al-Habbash

The image shows the PA map of “Palestine” that ‎presents all of Israel together with the PA areas, ‎with districts of Mandatory Palestine labeled in ‎Arabic and English.‎

Posted text: “It was called Palestine, it is called ‎Palestine, and it will be called Palestine until ‎the promise of Allah arrives”‎

This apparently refers to Al-Habbash’s ‎interpretation of “the final promise”; see note ‎below –Ed.‎

Text on top left of image in Arabic and ‎English: ‎
‎“The Governorates division in Palestine (sic., ‎Mandatory Palestine) before 1948”‎
Text on bottom right of image: “Palestinian ‎National Information Center – PNIC
Palestinian [official PA] news and information ‎agency WAFA”‎

The final (other) promise - The second half of Sura 17:7 of the Quran - “Then when the final promise came, [We sent your enemies] to sadden your faces and to enter the temple [in Jerusalem], as they entered it the first time, and to destroy what they had taken over with [total] destruction.” [Sahih International translation] - can be understood as either past or future tense due to the ambiguity of the Arabic "idha ja'a" referring to “the promise” that can be understood as “when it came” or “when it comes,” and the Arabic “al-ahera,” also referring to the promise, which can mean “other” or “final.” Many religious scholars understand it as past tense referring back to the destruction of the Second Temple. But some understand it as future tense, prophesizing some future destruction befalling the Jews. Al-Habbash presents it as prophesizing a final war in which Israel will be destroyed.