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Israeli court orders demolition of part of mosque in Jerusalem
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — An Israeli court has rejected an appeal to stop the demolition of part of a mosque in Ras al-Amoud in East Jersualem, the mosque’s imam says.
The court in Jerusalem ruled that a section of Muhammad Al-Fatih Mosque was built without a license and must be demolished, Sheikh Sabri Abu Diab told Ma’an.
The imam said the section under threat is used by female worshipers.
The 70-square-meter section was built in 2009 to increase the mosque’s capacity, particularly on Fridays, the Muslim day of worship, as thousands of people who are denied access to Al-Aqsa Mosque pray in Ras al-Amoud instead, Abu Diab said.
Engineers and lawyers tried to get a license for the additional section but Israeli authorities refused, he added.
A Jerusalem court first ordered the demolition of the section in 2012, but the decision was appealed.
The latest decision cannot be appealed, but Palestinian members of Israel’s Knesset Ibrahim Sarsour, Masoud Ghanayim and Talab Abu Arar have said they will try to stop the demolition.
The rest of the mosque was built in 1964 on land owned by the endowment foundation. “It was built before the annexation of Jerusalem,” the sheikh said.
The court in Jerusalem ruled that a section of Muhammad Al-Fatih Mosque was built without a license and must be demolished, Sheikh Sabri Abu Diab told Ma’an.
The imam said the section under threat is used by female worshipers.
The 70-square-meter section was built in 2009 to increase the mosque’s capacity, particularly on Fridays, the Muslim day of worship, as thousands of people who are denied access to Al-Aqsa Mosque pray in Ras al-Amoud instead, Abu Diab said.
Engineers and lawyers tried to get a license for the additional section but Israeli authorities refused, he added.
A Jerusalem court first ordered the demolition of the section in 2012, but the decision was appealed.
The latest decision cannot be appealed, but Palestinian members of Israel’s Knesset Ibrahim Sarsour, Masoud Ghanayim and Talab Abu Arar have said they will try to stop the demolition.
The rest of the mosque was built in 1964 on land owned by the endowment foundation. “It was built before the annexation of Jerusalem,” the sheikh said.
