PA Presidential Advisor warns of a "religious war which will not stop at the borders of the Palestinian people, but rather will reach the US, Europe, and the entire world"

Headline: “Is Israel striving for a religious war?”

“[PA] Presidential Office Advisor on Jerusalem Affairs Ahmed Al-Ruweidi said that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is holy to the Muslims… and therefore an attack on it is an attack on the Muslims’ faith. He emphasized that if the invasions and attacks against the Al-Aqsa Mosque continue, and if Israel attempts to impose a division [between Jews and Muslims] according to times, this will be tantamount to an attack on a billion Muslims in the world – which means the buds of a religious war…

He added: ‘The religious war will not stop at the borders of the region and the borders of the Palestinian people, but rather will reach the US, Europe, and the entire world. The world must pressure Israel to cease its measures, so that [the world’s] fingers will not be burned and so that its territory will not burn. The truth is that Israel, which is striving for a religious war, is laying the groundwork for this.’ …

Al-Ruweidi emphasized that the occupation is attempting to implement a division according to times and areas at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and afterwards to establish the alleged Temple."

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.

“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.