Israel “was called Palestine, is called Palestine, and will be called Palestine” boasts Supreme Shari’ah Judge

Image and text posted on the Facebook page of 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) as “Palestine”,, with various districts of Mandatory Palestine demarcated and labeled in Arabic and English.

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”

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.

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.