RAMALLAH 

Palestinian Authority Minister for Religious Endowments (Awqaf) Mahmoud al-Habbash said Tuesday that his ministry had registered 48 Israeli "violations" against Islamic holy sites in the city of Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) in January alone.

In a statement, the minister warned of rising numbers of Israeli violations against Islamic religious sites, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The minister's statement did not detail the alleged violations, but earlier ministry statements have referred to recurrent intrusions into the iconic mosque by extremist Jewish settlers.

"Israel is working to Judaize Al-Quds and distort its Arab and Islamic heritage by twisting history and replacing Arab place names with Jewish ones," he added.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque represents the world's third holiest site for Muslims. Jews refer to the area – which also includes the Dome of the Rock – as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.

Al-Habbash also lamented the fact that Israeli forces had banned the azan (the Islamic call to prayer) at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Al-Khalil dozens of times over the past month.

Al-Khalil's Ibrahimi Mosque complex is revered by both Muslims and Jews. It is believed to mark the burial site of prophets Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Following the 1994 massacre of 29 Palestinian worshippers inside the mosque by Jewish extremist settler Baruch Goldstein, the Israeli authorities decided to keep Muslim and Jewish worshippers separated.

Al-Khalil is home to roughly 160,000 Palestinian Muslims and about 500 Jewish settlers. The latter live in several Jewish-only enclaves that are heavily guarded by Israeli troops.

By Qais Abu Samra

englishnews@aa.com.tr