JERUSALEM, January 29, 2026 (WAFA) – The Supreme Fatwa Council in Palestine condemned the ongoing attacks by the Israeli occupation and its colonists on holy sites, as well as on all Palestinian cities, towns, and refugee camps.
The Council condemned the Israeli authorities’ permission for extremist colonists to bring Jewish Torah prayer scrolls into Al-Aqsa Mosque during their raids, in an attempt to violate the mosque’s sanctity and alter the status quo established since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967.
The Supreme Fatwa Council stated in a Thursday-issued statement that this escalation follows the Israeli occupation authorities’ tightening of restrictions on worshippers and guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque through detentions and the issuance of expulsion orders, executing their extremist agendas in a desperate effort to remove the mosque’s defenders, while simultaneously permitting extremist colonists to desecrate it under the protection of occupation forces—a blatant provocation to Muslims worldwide.
The Council emphasized that Al-Aqsa Mosque is exclusively a place of worship for Muslims, managed by the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem.
Similarly, the Council condemned the attacks on the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, including the expulsion of its caretakers and worshippers, describing these actions as a grave violation that denies Muslims the ability to perform their religious rituals, while simultaneously allowing colonists to carry out their own rites within the mosque.
The Council warned that these arbitrary measures are part of a broader plan to impose Israeli sovereignty over both mosques amid alarming Arab, Islamic, and international silence.
It affirmed that both Al-Aqsa and the Ibrahimi Mosques belong exclusively to Muslims, noting that divine religions forbid violating sacred places of worship—a principle repeatedly ignored by the occupation authorities. These practices infringe on the right to freedom of worship guaranteed by religious teachings, as well as by international law and norms, the Council emphasized.
The Council also cautioned against the aggressive colonial campaign carried out by Israeli authorities across Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps, including attacks by colonists on defenseless Palestinians, destruction of property, and burning of homes.
These actions are part of a broader plan to annex the West Bank, entrench occupation, expand settlements, seize Palestinian natural resources, and force Palestinians to abandon their homes and lands, facilitating the displacement of Palestinians in favor of extremist colonists.
The statement was issued following the 234th session of the Council, chaired by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, and head of the Supreme Fatwa Council, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, with participation of council members from across the Palestinian governorates.
T.R.
