JERUSALEM, June 12, 2018 (WAFA) – The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, called on the public on Tuesday to be on the watch for the birth of the new moon as of Thursday evening.

If the new moon is seen, it means the end of the holy fast month of Ramadan and the start of the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Muslims follow the lunar calendar, which means each month is decided when it starts and ends based on the birth of a new moon.

Even though the public is called upon to watch for the new moon, Palestine, as most Arab and Islamic countries, normally follows what Saudi Arabia decides on this matter.

The Palestinian government has already declared a five-day holiday marking Eid al-Fitr  starting Thursday and ending Monday.

M.K.