ABNA24 - Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic Council and preacher of Aqsa Mosque, said his legal team presented a “logical defense” during the latest court session reviewing the indictment against him, stressing that the speech cited in the case constitutes “legitimate religious discourse protected by law.”
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Sheikh Sabri said the defense relied on “a strong argument grounded in religious principles,” emphasizing that the religious expressions contained in his sermons and public positions “are legally permitted.”
According to the case file, the indictment relates to condolence remarks delivered by Sheikh Sabri at mourning gatherings in Occupied Al-Quds and Jenin refugee camp, as well as his prayer for former Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haneyya during a sermon delivered at Aqsa Mosque in 2024.
Sabri stated that his legal team worked to prove his innocence, arguing that the case concerns religious speech that falls within legally and religiously protected boundaries.
For its part, the defense team rejected the indictment entirely, insisting that the Sheikh committed no legal offense and that the statements referenced in the case fall under protected religious and lawful expression.
Attorney Khaled Zabarqa, a member of Sabri’s defense team, said the session focused on responding to the three charges brought against Sheikh Ekrima Sabri. He explained that the defense rejected all accusations against the Sheikh and challenged the fundamental basis on which the case was built.
Zabarqa said the defense denied allegations related to “supporting terrorism” stemming from the Sheikh offering condolences to the families of Palestinians killed in Jenin and Shuafat refugee camps, stressing that those positions “have no connection to the events of October 7, 2023.”
“We explained that the Sheikh’s condolences came within a religious and social context and have nothing to do with the later events the prosecution is trying to link to the case,” he added.
He noted that the court postponed further hearings until next September to hear witnesses and continue reviewing the case.
According to the indictment, the case dates back to 2022 when Sheikh Sabri delivered condolence remarks at mourning gatherings for Uday al-Tamimi in Occupied Al-Quds and Raad Hazem in Jenin, before prosecutors later added charges related to his prayer for Ismail Haneyya during an Aqsa sermon.
Sheikh Sabri, 87, has faced a long series of Israeli measures, including travel bans, repeated bans from entering Aqsa Mosque, and recurring interrogations, as part of what observers describe as a policy targeting his religious and national role in occupied Al-Quds .
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