PA Mufti and PA Minister: Israel trying to “invade the Al-Aqsa Mosque” and “take it over”
Headline: “The [PA] Ministry of Religious Affairs and the [PA] Mufti warn against invasion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque”
“The [PA] Minister of Religious Affairs, Sheikh Yusuf Ida’is, and [PA] Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, warned against the danger of what has been reported in the media regarding the intentions of those called the alleged Temple organizations to more fervently invade the Al-Aqsa Mosque tomorrow [July 22, 2015], Wednesday, another act in the targeting of the Al-Aqsa Mosque’s independence, and the Muslims’ absolute sovereignty over it. These statements were made today [July 21, 2015], Tuesday, during a meeting between the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Mufti at the headquarters of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The two emphasized that the escalating dangerous Israeli plots against Jerusalem, which are seen in attempts to interfere in the affairs of the Jerusalem Noble Sanctuary (i.e., the Temple Mount), in increasing excavations under the Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the pretext of searching for alleged antiquities, and in intensive settlement plans in Jerusalem, are an attempt to change the status quo in the Jerusalem Noble Sanctuary. This is in addition to the continuing Judaization of Jerusalem, its full isolation from its geographical surroundings, and the construction of the racist separation fence… Likewise, the two called on the Palestinian people, wherever they may be, to increase their presence in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in order to foil all the Israeli plots striving to take it over.”
Note: "Alleged Temple organizations" refer to religious Jewish movements including the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation, The Initiative for Jewish Freedom on the Temple Mount and Students for the Temple Mount, which spread awareness of the importance of the Temple Mount in Judaism and encourage people to visit the site.