Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, head of the Supreme Islamic Council, preacher at Al-Aqsa Mosque and former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, was questioned on Friday, March 6, 2026 over statements he made two days after the outbreak of Operation “Roaring Lion”, in which he claimed that the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque was not a security necessity but an attempt to establish Israeli hegemony over the Temple Mount.
Sabri also called on the Palestinian public not to obey Home Front Command instructions and to continue arriving at the mosque in large numbers. Immediately after leaving the questioning, while standing outside the headquarters of the Jerusalem District Police at the Russian Compound, he repeated the same statements.
Why was Sheikh Ikrima Sabri questioned after calling worshippers to come to Al-Aqsa?
Sabri originally made the statements on March 2, 2026, during the days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, after the Jerusalem District Police closed the Temple Mount compound, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, to worshippers and visitors due to Home Front Command instructions banning large public gatherings following missile fire from Iran. In statements widely quoted in Palestinian media and on social networks, Sabri argued that “there is no legal or realistic justification” for closing the mosque. According to him, the use of a state of emergency as a pretext is a political rather than a security measure.
Sabri further claimed that Israel’s real goal is “to impose full hegemony over the holy sites” and change the historic status quo on the Temple Mount. He said these steps were intended “to undermine and strip the Islamic Waqf of its management authority” and prevent Muslims from exercising their freedom of worship, particularly during the central night prayers of Ramadan (Isha and Tarawih). He called on believers to come to the mosque in large numbers despite the restrictions, arguing that “the presence of Muslims will thwart the plans of the occupation”.
What were the conditions of Ikrima Sabri’s release after the questioning?
At the end of the questioning, Sabri was released on condition that he would not enter the Old City. This condition joins an existing restraining order issued against him about a year ago that already bans him from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount. Immediately after leaving the questioning at the Russian Compound, while walking alongside his lawyers, he again made similar remarks to Palestinian journalists waiting outside.
Sabri, considered one of the leading inciters on the Temple Mount, is currently facing another trial over previous incitement statements. He is accused of praising and glorifying attackers who carried out terror attacks in 2022 after visiting their families. Among the remarks the former mufti reportedly told the families: “They are in paradise, inshallah, and the angels are welcoming them”. In one of those cases, the attacker was Uday Tamimi, who murdered IDF soldier Noa Lazar at the Shuafat checkpoint on October 8, 2022.
#شاهد | شرطة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي تفرج عن الشيخ عكرمة صبري رئيس الهيئة الإسلامية العليا في القدس بعد استدعائه للتحقيق اليوم حول اعتراضه على إغلاق المسجد الأقصى pic.twitter.com/uXAnI7xDWH
— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) March 6, 2026
