Top Jerusalem Islamic official calls on West to tell Israel: Don’t mess with Al-Aqsa

Top Jerusalem Islamic official calls on West to tell Israel: Don’t mess with Al-Aqsa Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Mon, 04/06/2026 - 15:53 Mustafa Abu Sway, deputy head of the Islamic Waqf, tells MEE the closure of the mosque risks destabilising the entire region A drone view of the Dome of the Rock in Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall following restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities, on 5 April 2026 (Reuters/Ilan Rosenberg) Off A senior member of the Islamic Waqf that administers Al-Aqsa Mosque has called on western governments to urge Israel not to "mess with the holy places in Jerusalem”. His call comes as alarm mounts that Israeli authorities are permanently seizing the occupied East Jerusalem site, one of the holiest in Islam, in contravention of the Status Quo agreement that enshrines its Islamic nature. For the last five weeks, Israel has imposed a blanket ban on Muslims entering the mosque, even including for Friday prayers, Eid al-Fitr and Laylat al-Qadr.