Systematic Political Harassment: Israel Targets Masjid Al-Aqsa’s Preacher with Fabricated Cases
The eighty-seven-year-old Al-Aqsa preacher faces another “procedural” court session as part of a long-running campaign to silence and punish Palestinian religious leaders in Al-Quds.
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM - The Israeli Magistrate’s Court in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) opened another hearing on Tuesday for Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, in what his lawyer described as a “procedural trial that forms part of a systematic political persecution.”
According to the indictment filed by the Israeli Public Prosecution, the charges include three alleged incidents: Sheikh Sabri’s eulogies in 2022 in the Shuafat and Jenin refugee camps for martyrs Uday Al-Tamimi and Raed Hazem, and a sermon at Al-Aqsa Mosque in which he mourned Palestinian leader Ismail Haniyeh.
His lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa, stressed that the session is procedural, not substantive.
Defense Team: This Is Systematic Political Harassment
Zabarqa told Anadolu Agency that Tuesday’s session at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court would be limited to reading the indictment.
“We will request additional evidence that we believe is essential to refute these charges,” he said.
“We will take the indictment but will not respond to it immediately. We will ask the court for another date to present our reply. It is therefore a procedural session rather than a substantive one.”
Zabarqa described the indictment as “an extension of the occupation’s racist political persecution targeting Sheikh Sabri and other Jerusalemite figures, aiming to restrict their role and silence their voices.”
He explained that Sheikh Sabri has faced years of punitive measures: travel bans, bans on entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, bans on delivering sermons, a demolition order targeting the building where he resided, and restrictions on communication with Palestinian figures.
Years of Threats, Incitement, and Retaliatory Measures
According to Zabarqa, Sheikh Sabri is also subjected to constant harassment by Israeli authorities, along with a fierce public incitement campaign by extremist right-wing groups calling explicitly for targeting and assassinating him.
“Despite presenting clear evidence of these threats to the Public Prosecution, they did nothing,” he said, emphasizing that the case against Sheikh Sabri is politically fabricated and has nothing to do with law.
He added: “This is a political persecution of an 87-year-old religious leader.”
Sheikh Ikrima Sabri is a globally known religious authority. He is the head of the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, a member of the Islamic Waqf Council, and formerly served for many years as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories. (PW)
Source: Palinfo