Israel Tries to Save Arab Lives During Iran War, and Palestinian Authority Calls it a ‘Crime’
Palestinians walk at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem’s Old City May 21, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad
According to the Palestinian Authority (PA), Israel is acting criminally when it closes Muslim holy sites to protect against needless loss of life from Iranian missile attacks during the Iran war.
The PA says this even though Israel is applying the safety regulation uniformly across the country, prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people at holy sites of all religions — something that PA officials and media refuse to disclose to their people.
As Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported last week, this is an especially hypocritical accusation, since the PA police have also issued guidelines restricting large gatherings. The tens of thousands of worshippers that typically visit Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan would certainly qualify as a prohibited “large gathering” even according to the PA regulations.
But for the PA, it doesn’t matter — because any Israeli decision that affects land it claims is Muslim-owned property is an “illegal” order. This has now been stated quite clearly by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash:
Official PA TV host:“What is the reason for the closure of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and what is the occupation (i.e., Israel) aiming for with this act?”
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash:“Whatever the reasons, excuses, and pretexts being marketed by the occupation state to justify the crimes and violations it commits against the holy sites, foremost among them the Al-Aqsa Mosque, all these reasons are false, unacceptable, and illegal. Israel has no legal right to interfere in the affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque… The occupation government is illegal, and therefore all the laws and decisions that come from it – whatever their excuses, reasons, or pretexts – are illegal.”
Video title:“Dr. Mahmoud Al-Habbash talks with [Official] PA TV about the real goals behind Israel’s closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the activity of the Presidential Assistance Committee in the Gaza Strip”
[Mahmoud Al-Habbash, YouTube channel, March 6, 2026]
This libel is expressed repeatedly by PA officials, and since the start of the Iran war, has become a daily talking point on official PA media:
Official PA TV reporter in Hebron: “The occupation (i.e., Israel) continues to close the noble Ibrahimi Mosque (i.e., Cave of the Patriarchs) for five consecutive days on a baseless claim and is preventing the Muslim worshippers from praying inside the mosque, particularly in this blessed [Muslim fasting] month [of Ramadan].” [emphasis added]
[Official PA TV News, March 4, 2026]
The PA’s denial of Israel’s rights at Judaism’s holy sites follows its historical revisionism, and repeated denial that the Western Wall and Hebron’s Cave of the Patriarchs are Jewish holy sites of historic and religious significance:
PA Jerusalem District Spokesman Ma’arouf Al-Rifai: “We say that the Al-Buraq Wall (i.e., the Western Wall of the Temple Mount) and the Al-Buraq [Wall] Plaza are part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is an Islamic waqf (i.e., an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law). [It does not belong] to either the Orthodox or non-Orthodox [Jews]. It is occupied territory. We do not recognize Israeli sovereignty over it and there is no such thing.”
[Radio Hawa Nablus, Facebook page, Feb. 23, 2026]
According to the PA, Judaism’s holiest site — the Temple Mount — is also disenfranchised from its central place in Jewish history and religious texts. Before the Iran war broke out, the PA’s official newspaper attacked Jews who visited the site as “colonialist invaders.” The Jews’ prayers were maligned as “provocative” “Talmudic ceremonies” and a “dangerous escalation.” The event was called a “blatant provocation to the sensibilities of… the entire world”:
Headline: “[PA] Jerusalem District: Extending the time of the invasions of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by an additional hour is a dangerous escalation”
“The [PA] Jerusalem District announced that dozens of colonialists invaded the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and held Talmudic [i.e., Jewish] and provocative ceremonies in its plazas…
The Jerusalem District stated that the fact that the Israeli occupation authorities extended the time of the colonialists’ invasions of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque by an additional hour every day during the blessed [Muslim fasting] month of Ramadan constitutes a dangerous escalation.
In a statement yesterday [Feb. 18, 2026], the district… said that this decision constitutes a dangerous escalation that harms the historical and legal status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and is a blatant provocation to the sensibilities of the Muslims in Jerusalem, Palestine, and the entire world.
…
The Jerusalem District emphasized that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque is solely an Islamic place of worship, and that all measures of the occupation [i.e., Israel] against it are invalid and illegal, and constitute a blatant violation of international law and the resolutions of the relevant international institutions.” [emphasis added]
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 19, 2026]
That Jews, no less than Muslims, are barred from visiting the Temple Mount, Western Wall, and Cave of the Patriarchs during the Iran war, is clearly information that the PA would prefer to hide from Palestinians and the world.
The author is a contributor to Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article first appeared.