A senior religious leader was detained on Friday for allegedly inciting “terrorism” after mourning the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque, according to his lawyer.
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, 85, the former grand mufti of Jerusalem and current head of its Supreme Islamic Council, referred to Haniyeh as a martyr during his sermon at the mosque in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, his lawyer stated.
“Sheikh Sabri is currently under investigation at Al-Maskobiya (police compound) on suspicion of inciting terrorism because he mourned Ismail Haniyeh and described him as a martyr during the Friday sermon,” said his lawyer, Hamza Qatina.
Israeli police, without naming Sabri, confirmed they had “opened an investigation into an imam suspected of making inciting statements and supporting terrorism during a sermon given on Friday.”
In June, Sabri was charged with inciting terrorism for allegedly praising Palestinians who killed four Israelis, including a soldier, in October 2022. He had then denounced the accusations as part of a “fabricated” campaign against him.
Additionally, a man in his twenties was arrested for making “inciting statements” during Friday prayers, the Israeli police statement added.
