JERUSALEM, April 30, 2026 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Supreme Fatwa Council has condemned the approval by the Israeli occupation authorities of the establishment of a Jewish school on a large area of citizens’ land and homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Council reaffirmed its rejection of the systematic Israeli measures and violations aimed at Judaizing Jerusalem, altering its Palestinian identity, and imposing new illegal realities on the ground through the distortion of its historical and legal status, warning of serious repercussions for the region.
It noted that this escalation comes amid a marked increase in systematic violations carried out by groups of colonists, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, against Palestinian land and property, including physical assaults on unarmed citizens, the destruction of property, the burning of homes, shops and vehicles, and the uprooting of hundreds of olive trees across the occupied Palestinian Territory.
The Council stated that the crimes of the occupation have reached an appalling level of brutality and disregard for human life and property, carried out under full protection of the occupation army and police for the bloodthirsty colonists, who continue to wreak havoc across the land.
It called on international institutions, particularly the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly, to urgently intervene to provide international protection for the defenseless Palestinian people, halt the escalating crimes of colonists, prevent further violations in Palestinian areas, and stop the region from being pushed into a cycle of violence and instability.
In another context, the Council condemned the continued violations by Israeli occupation authorities and colonists of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings, through incursions by hundreds of extremist colonists, the performance of collective Talmudic rituals and what is known as “epic prostration” within its courtyards.
It stated that these acts constitute a blatant provocation to the feelings of Muslims and a challenge to the steadfast Palestinian people defending the holy mosque and the holy city.
The Council warned that these incursions carry serious implications, most notably efforts to impose Israeli sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque, amid continued international silence.
The statement came during the Council’s 236th session, chaired by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein.
T.R.
