Court ruling that Jews may pray silently at Temple Mount, is "explicit call for religious war" according to the PA, who warn against the "consequences" of the decision

Headline: “A new Israeli crime and an explicit call for religious war: The Israeli occupation allows settlers to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque”

“The so-called ‘legal system’ in the occupation state added a new war crime to the series of crimes that it has committed and is still committing against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.It issued ‘a ruling allowing Jews to pray silently’ at the Al-Aqsa Mosque plazas (refers to a Jerusalem Magistrates’ Court ruling that Jews do not violate police instructions by silently praying at the Temple Mount, which was later overturned by a Jerusalem District Court ruling -Ed.)…

The court ‘recognized the limited right’ of Jews to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque plazas, and said: ‘The presence of Jewish worshippers at the Jerusalem Noble Sanctuary (i.e., the Temple Mount) does not constitute a crime, as long as their prayer remains silent.’ It ordered the occupation police to annul the distancing order against extremist [Rabbi] Aryeh Lipo, which was meant to prevent him from visiting the Jerusalem Noble Sanctuary after he prayed there silently.

Due to the occupation’s ruling, [PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh warned against Israel’s attempts to establish new facts at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The prime minister demanded that the American administration uphold its commitments by preserving the customary status quo at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and not allowing any kind of change to be made to it. He emphasized that coordination on the matter continues with sister Jordan and called on the Arab and Islamic nations to take serious positions to stop the Israeli measures, which constitute a severe blow to the Muslims’ first direction of prayer.

The prime minister called on the leaders of Israel to learn from the lessons of the past. He recalled what happened in 2017 when the worshippers succeeded in thwarting the plan of the metal detectors that Israel placed at the entrances to the blessed mosque (see note below -Ed.).

The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned this unprecedented ruling by the occupation court. In a statement issued yesterday evening [Oct. 6, 2021], it said: ‘This decision constitutes outrageous aggression against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and a true declaration of war against the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations. This is the beginning of the division of the mosque and its plazas according to areas (see note below -Ed.), and an explicit call for religious war in the area.’ …

Jerusalem District Governor Adnan Ghaith called on the occupation authorities to honor the historical legal status at the Al-Aqsa Mosque with its 144 dunams (144,000 square meters -Ed.), because it is ‘the exclusive right of the Muslims and part of their belief, and no one shares it with them.’ …

He emphasized that the decision to allow the settler invaders to pray silently is ‘part of the historical context of dividing the Al-Aqsa Mosque ahead of establishing the alleged Temple.’ …

Supreme Shari’ah Judge of Palestine and [PA] President [Mahmoud Abbas’] Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash said that… the decision is a new war crime that joins the list of crimes that the so-called ‘legal system’ in the occupation state has committed and is still committing against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. He added that these acts of heresy are tantamount to a recipe for blowing up the situation and igniting the fuse of a religious war, which will not remain only in Palestine but rather will spread throughout the world, and the occupation state will not be safe from its flames and consequences.”

Mahmoud Al-Habbash also serves as Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Justice. In August 2019 PA Chairman Abbas dismissed all his advisors by Presidential decree. It is unclear what their status is today.

The mention of “metal detectors that Israel placed at the entrances of the blessed mosque” refers to Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount, including metal detectors at the entrances, following an attack there on July 14, 2017, in which 2 Israeli border police officers were murdered by 3 Israeli Arab terrorists. On July 24, 2017, Israel decided to remove the metal detectors and security cameras it had placed at the site. The PA continued to demand that all measures including inspections at the entrances be removed, and Palestinians continued to riot. On July 27, 2017, PA religious leaders declared that all Israeli measures had been removed.

“Division according to areas and times” refers to a submission of a “private bill” by Israeli MP Uri Ariel in March 2003. The bill suggested ensuring freedom of religious worship by allowing both Jews and Muslims to pray on the Temple Mount - what the Palestinians call the Al-Aqsa Mosque plaza. The bill sought to designate separate prayer times and areas of the site for Muslims and Jews. The bill never progressed past the initial legislatory stage. While there was additional discussion on the subject in 2012, no legislation was ever passed. In response to the incessant PA claims that the “division according to areas and times” of the Temple Mount is an operative Israeli plan, former Israeli PM Netanyahu stated on many occasions that the Israeli government has no intention of ‎changing the so-called status quo on the Temple Mount, which de facto is interpreted to mean Jews are only allowed to enter the Temple Mount, but not to conduct individual or communal prayers there. In July 2021, Israeli PM Naftali Bennett said Muslims and Jews have freedom of worship at the Temple Mount, which was understood by many as a hint to changing the status quo at the site, but the following day his office backtracked and said he misspoke and did not mean Jews would have freedom of worship, but rather would have freedom to visit. “There is no change in the status quo,” a statement from PM Bennett’s office confirmed.y type of worship.

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.