‘Temple Mount belongs to Muslims only,’ says Arab-Israeli lawmaker

Some 10,000 Jewish worshipers have visited the Temple Mount in less than three months.

By World Israel News Staff

“The Temple Mount belongs to Muslims only,” said United Arab List (Ra’am) chairman Mansour Abbas on Thursday, Israel National News reported.

In an interview given to the Kul al-Arab newspaper, Abbas addressed the increasing trend of Jewish visits to the Temple Mount, pledging to do everything in his power to stop it.

“We are working in the government to make a commitment not to invade the Al-Aqsa Mosque, not to perform religious worship on it by non-Muslims as it is a Muslim-only right,” he said. “I have dedicated my whole life to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and no one can criticize me on this issue,” he continued.

Abbas noted that “Israel is a Jewish state whether we like it or not and the question is what is our status in the state. I consider myself a citizen with full citizenship in the State of Israel and I want to exercise all my rights.”

He noted that he does not regret joining the coalition and that he believes that Ra’am is going in the right direction.

On Wednesday, the Yera’e organization, which monitors Jewish activity on the Temple Mount, reported that the number of Jewish worshipers on the Temple Mount has increased between 50% and 80% compared to the same periods in previous years.

Some 10,000 Jewish worshipers have visited the Temple Mount in less than three months, since the beginning of the Jewish year, the organization reported.

The Knesset’s Education Committee has also recommended that the subject of the Temple Mount “and its significance in Jewish culture and history” become part of the mandatory curriculum for Israeli Jewish students.

Arab IsraelisMahmoud AbbasRa'amTemple Mount