RAMALLAH, February 28, 2017 (WAFA) – A Palestinian official warned on Tuesday that an Israeli court’s ruling allowing Jews to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which is a Muslim holy site, is an invitation to religious strife.

The Israeli Magistrate Curt in Jerusalem said in a ruling that Al-Aqsa Mosque is holy to Jews and therefore they can pray in it.

While Jews and others are allowed to visit the Mosque compound, only Muslims are allowed to pray in it, as per a long-honored status quo.

Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs Yousef Ideis warned that such a ruling “will lead to a religious war that can bring devastation to the entire region.”

He said Israel is taking a dangerous road when it legislates its violations of the sanctity of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem, defying all international resolutions that clearly say Al-Aqsa is holy only for Muslims.

He was referring to a recent UNESCO resolution that declared the Mosque a Muslim holy place.

Fanatic Jews want to destroy the Mosque and replace it with a Jewish temple by claiming the ancient Jewish temples were once located on the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Muslim scholars have strongly rejected the Jewish claim to the site as a fallacy.

M.K.