UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, CHANGES DECK
By Abdel Raouf Arnaout, Betul Yilmaz and Rania Abu Shamala
JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) – The preacher of East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, appeared in an Israeli court on Tuesday on charges of “incitement”.
The charges, filed by Israeli prosecutors in August 2024, relate to two condolence speeches the preacher delivered in 2022, as well as his mourning of former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the Iranian capital in 2024.
An indictment against the imam was read during Tuesday’s trial session at the Magistrate’s Court in Jerusalem, according to an Anadolu reporter.
The 87-year-old preacher arrived at the court in a wheelchair, along with his lawyers and several Palestinian supporters, he added.
“The practices of the Israeli occupation are rejected, unjustified, illegal, and inhumane,” the imam told Anadolu. “Israel just wants to silence the voice that opposes the incursions of extremist Jews into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
“All their actions target Al-Aqsa Mosque and our firm position on the holy site, which we will never abandon,” he added.
“We will never give up the Al-Aqsa Mosque because it is part of our faith, and what is happening is a violation of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa. The occupying authorities are trying to silence our voice and silence the opposition that stands against the Israeli extremists.”
He said the Israeli authorities are seeking to spread fear among Palestinians to undermine their resistance against the occupation.
“We will remain committed and steadfast, God willing.”
- Fabricated charges
Defense lawyer Khaled Zabarka earlier told Anadolu that Tuesday’s session was procedural, calling the charges against the imam “fabricated.”
"We will ask the court for further evidence that we believe is necessary in order to refute this indictment,” he said.
"The indictment represents an extension of the occupation's policies of racist political persecution against Sheikh Sabri and other Jerusalemite figures to restrict their role and influence their speeches."
The lawyer said Israel, through the trial of the Al-Aqsa Mosque imam, “targets everything Sheikh Sabri embodies as a prominent religious figure in Jerusalem.”
He said the preacher is facing constant pressure from the Israeli authorities, “alongside a fierce incitement campaign launched by extremist right-wing groups that openly called for targeting and assassinating him.”
After reading the indictment, the court decided to hold another trial session for the mosque preacher on Jan. 6.
In August 2024, the Israeli police banned Sheikh Sabri from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months for offering his condolences over Haniyeh’s death.
Israeli authorities have repeatedly taken measures against the Palestinian imam over his sermons in support of Gaza, alongside continued incitement against him by officials in Tel Aviv, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Interior Minister Moshe Arbel.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.