Days of Palestine – Jerusalem

The director of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Omar Al-Kiswani, announced on Saturday that there is a “grave danger” facing the mosque from the southern and western sides due to the Israeli occupation excavations.

Al-Kiswani called that the Israeli occupation must stop the excavations immediately, and for the Arab and Islamic world to use their role to stop the excavations.

Al-Kiswani said that these excavations violate the recommendations of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and United Nations resolutions regarding the Old City, Al-Aqsa Mosque, the land of Al-Buraq Square, and the Umayyad palaces that belong to the Islamic endowments and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Kiswani considered that the pilgrimage to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the presence in its courtyards, corridors, and mosques by Palestinians give a message to the occupation that Al-Aqsa Mosque is a pure right of Muslims.

“Palestinians do not accept division and partnership and that the large presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque dispels the plans and narratives that the Israeli occupation wants to impose through incursions and excavations,” he stressed.

He asked the Arab and Islamic countries to support the Jordanian position in immediately stopping the excavations that pose a threat to Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Kiswani continued: “If something happens to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, it may lead to a religious war. We do not know where it will reach.”

He explained that the stone that fell recently in the southern wall of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque adjacent to Al-Buraq Square, which is the wall of the Islamic Museum and part of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, is being held by the Israeli occupation authorities, who did not allow it to be returned to its place.

He added: “There have been excavations for five years and continued in the area of ​​the Umayyad palaces to expand the so-called Al-Buraq Square in order for extremists and Jews to perform their prayers at the Al-Buraq Wall, as well as the western side adjacent to the Umayyad palaces.”

Al-Kiswani talked about “large” excavations that took place in the Umayyad palaces and adjacent to the foundations of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and they have been going on for a long time, but recently affected the stones of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque from the outside, and led to cracks in some stones from the western side adjacent to the Umayyad palaces, in addition to the fall of a stone before 5 years on the southern side of the wall of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and adjacent to Al-Buraq Square.