Mahmoud al-Habbash, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas’ adviser on religious affairs, told the official P.A. daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida this month that the presence of Jewish Israeli Knesset members in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount “defiles” the Islamic holy sites, and in particular, the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
According to a new report by Palestinian Media Watch, al-Habbash compared Zionism with the behavior of the ISIS terror organization.
He told the newspaper that by once again allowing MKs to visit the Temple Mount (a ban had been in place for nearly three years as a precaution against violence), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is engaging in bullying, arrogance and Zionist ‘ISIS-ism’ against the members of our people and its holy sites … ”
Al-Habbash said Netanyahu’s decision is no less than a “war crime.” He added that the presence of Jewish Israeli MPs at Islamic holy sites both in Jerusalem and in Hebron constitutes “defilement.”
The full PMW report documents other recent anti-Semitic statements from P.A. officials regarding a Jewish presence on the Temple Mount.
