Supreme Fatwa Council emphasizes the religious ruling banning Palestinians from selling property to the Israeli "enemy"

Headline: “The [Palestinian Supreme] Fatwa Council again emphasized the fatwa banning the sale of real estate and lands to the occupation”

“The Palestinian Supreme Fatwa Council again emphasized the fatwa (i.e., religious ruling) banning the sale of real estate and lands in Jerusalem and throughout Palestine to the Israeli occupation.

At a meeting that it held yesterday, Thursday [March 24, 2022], led by [PA] Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories and Supreme Fatwa Council Chairman Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, the Fatwa Council said that Palestine is kharaj land (i.e., land belonging to Muslims) and a waqf (i.e., an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law; see note below) which, according to Shari’ah law, it is forbidden to sell its lands and its properties or facilitate its transfer to enemies. This is because in terms of Shari’ah law it is considered a public Islamic property and not private property…

The council also called on the occupation authorities to stop harming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and to respect its sanctity, and also called on our people and everyone who is able to reach the Al-Aqsa Mosque to come to it and carry out Ribat there (i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic).”

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

A waqf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law. Palestinians define all of Israel as waqf, and thereby Israel exists on Islamic holy land. Palestinian leaders have explained that under Islamic law Muslims are commanded to free the waqf from non-Muslims.