Zionists interrogating 85-year-old Al-Aqsa imam

Muhammad Amin
Israel’s Gestapo are interrogating Al-Aqsa Masjid’s 85-year-old imam, Sheikh Akram Sabi, at its notorious Moscovia Prison after storming his home in occupied Jerusalem.
Sabri’s office said the intelligence service stormed his home at nine am Tuesday and summoned him for interrogation just a week after Israeli settlers desecrated the Al-Aqsa compound and Zionist politicians called for a synagogue to be built in the compound.
The imam’s arrest is seen as a broad-ranging assault Israel is mounting against the West Bank and Al-Aqsa in particular.
Sabri, who is also the head of the Islamic Authority in Jerusalem, was banned from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months just hours after he delivered a Jumuah sermon mourning the assassination of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh on July 31.
Israeli police have arrested Sheikh Sabri several times over the past few years.
While he was being hauled off for interrogation, Jewish settlers stormed Tuesday the Al-Aqsa Masjid again under the protection of Israeli soldiers, WAFA reported.
Eyewitnesses told the official Palestinian news agency that dozens of illegal Jewish settlers “carried out provocative tours in Al-Aqsa Mosque and performed Talmudic rituals.”
The military also deployed their forces at the gates of the holy masjid and subjected Palestinian worshipers to security measures and restrictions of entry, WAFA said.
Last week, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu announced he would allocate 2 million NIS ($545,000) to fund settlers to occupy Al-Aqsa in coming weeks.
Hamas warned of a potential ‘religious war’ in the region following Israel’s decision to fund tours of Al-Aqsa Mosque for illegal Jewish settlers.
“The occupation government’s decision to fund Zionist tours of Al-Aqsa Mosque is a dangerous escalation and playing with fire, leading the region towards a religious war for which the occupation and its supporters will bear responsibility,” Hamas said.