Temple Mount "belongs by divine decision to the Muslims only, and others have no right to it" according to PA Mufti

Headline: “The [PA] mufti: The blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque belongs to the Muslims only”

“The [PA] Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories and preacher at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Muhammad Ahmed Hussein said that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque with all of its 144 dunams (144,000 sq. meters -Ed.) belongs to the Muslims only, and that others have no right to it. He noted that this is anchored in a divine decision and is confirmed by international resolutions that were issued by the UN General Assembly, in addition to all of UNESCO’s (UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) resolutions on the matter.

This was said in response to the statements of [Israeli] occupation Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who claimed that the decisions regarding the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and all of Jerusalem are being made by the occupation authorities, without considering any kind of external considerations.

The mufti added that the occupation authorities have no religious, historical, or legal legitimacy in the holy city [of Jerusalem](sic.), and that they are an illegal occupying power that is crouching on our Palestinian land and implementing terror against the Palestinian people and its holy sites.He emphasized that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque will remain an Islamic-Palestinian [mosque] that cannot be shared in or divided, and that the occupation will eventually pass from the world…

The mufti warned against the dangerous level that the threats of the occupation authorities and the settlers against the Palestinian people and its holy sites have reached… He held the occupation authorities responsible for the results of these despicable attacks, which fan the fire of hate and loathing in the region and lay the groundwork for a fierce religious war, whose results are difficult to imagine.”

Muhammad Hussein also serves as Deputy Secretary-General and acting Secretary-General of the PLO Popular National Conference of Jerusalem.