Palestinians outraged at US envoy accepting controversial Jerusalem poster

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A picture of US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman smiling at a poster of Jerusalem's skyline showing Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, replaced by a Jewish temple, sparked outrage across Palestine on Wednesday.

In the picture published by the Israeli Television Channel 10 on Tuesday, Friedman was ready to accept the controversial poster from a radical Jewish group.

Mahmoud al-Habbash, chief of Palestinian judges, said publishing the picture is "a provocative step to incite the demolition of Al-Aqsa Mosque."

"Jerusalem is a pure Arab and Islamic heritage," al-Habbash said in a press statement, adding that "Israel's attempts to falsify the history will not succeed."

"The Palestinian people will never hesitate in defense of the capital of Palestine and its holy sites," he warned.

Sheikh Mohamed Hussein, the Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, slammed the US ambassador for accepting such a poster as a gift.

"This proves that the United States accepts the Jewish claim of replacing Al-Aqsa Mosque with a Jewish temple," he said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly blasted Friedman for his full support to the Israeli far right wing and the Jewish settlers in the Palestinian territories.

In an e-mailed press statement, Saeb Erekat, secretary general of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee, accused the US envoy of "turning the conflict with Israel into a religious one."

Following the declaration by US President Donald Trump of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last December, the US moved its embassy in Israel to the disputed holy city on May 14, causing further strained relations between the two sides.

The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, as the capital, while Israel claims the entire city as its eternal indivisible capital.

Israel took over East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later declared the whole city as its eternal capital in a move largely rejected by the international community.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency