Israel to question Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher on Monday

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) – Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Ekrima Sabri was summoned by Israel’s intelligence service for questioning, according to his office on Sunday.

In a statement, the office said Sabri will appear before intelligence agents on Monday, without specifying the reason for the summoning.

His lawyer Khaled Zabarka said the Palestinian preacher did not commit any legal violations.

“He is doing his normal religious work and interacts with all pressing issues,” he added in a Facebook post.

There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the report.

The 84-year-old preacher was detained multiple times by the Israeli forces in the past and was banned from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for several months.

Sabri is a staunch critic of the decades-long Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. He had previously held the position of mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories from 1994 to 2006.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar