PA accuses Bennett of inciting religious war over Temple Mount

Attorney Ahmad al-Rawidi, an adviser to Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, says the “invasions” of Jews into the Temple Mount compound over the past two days show that Israel’s “occupying power” is seeking exclusive sovereignty over the al-Aqsa Mosque.

In a press release, al-Rawidi said that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s remarks in favor of allowing Jewish worship on the Temple Mount (a statement from which he backtracked last night) were “a dangerous development that has not been the case since 1967.”

According to Rawaidi, the Palestinian Authority appealed to all diplomatic missions in its territory and urged them to protect the historic and legal right of Muslims in the al-Aqsa Mosque and warned of the Israeli government’s policy, which it said could lead to a global religious war.

Rawidi stressed that “the al-Aqsa Mosque, with its entire area spread over 144 dunams, is the exclusive right of the Muslims and no one else has a share in it.”

He noted that the Islamic Waqf, which is managed by Jordan, is the guardian of the site, and therefore “the presence of the occupation forces and its police contradicts the historic situation in the al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Referring to Prime Minister Bennett’s amendment announcing that Jews are not allowed to perform religious worship on the Temple Mount, Rawidi said that this was a “deception of the public,” and in his view Bennett actually allowed the “invasions” of the Jews to the Temple Mount and prayers there.