Families of Palestinian teenage terrorists who are imprisoned in Israel, were invited on Saturday to a special dinner in East Jerusalem during which the terrorists’ names were glorified.
Each family was given a commemorative plaque and a drinking mug featuring an image of its jailed relative. The event was attended by former Jerusalem Mufti Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, who is known for his extremist views.
One of the families who participated in the dinner was that of Muawiya Alqam, a 14-year-old who was jailed for perpetrating a stabbing attack on the Jerusalem light rail in November 2015 with his 11-year-old cousin, Ali.
Ali, whose age precluded him from being prosecuted under criminal law, is spending a year in an institution headed by the Ministry of Welfare from which he is given furlough once every fortnight. He too participated in the Saturday event.
"Sadly, once again religious bodies who are supposed to moderate are leading incitement in Jerusalem," said Maor Tzemach, chairman of the ‘Lach Yerushalayim’ (To Thee Jerusalem) organization, which seeks to apply Israeli sovereignty in all parts of Jerusalem. "The Sheikh Sabri, one of the leaders of the incitement campaign against the state of Israel, led the fundraising for the families of terrorists in Jerusalem whose homes were demolished by the IDF. More than once, in his sermons in (the al-Aqsa mosque), he's incited against Israel."
Tzemach continued, "And now he's complimenting terrorist activity by granting it legitimacy and social backing. We call on Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan to combat the incitement bodies and their leaders, such as Sheikh Sabri, and to expel them from the city of Jerusalem.
Sheikh Sabri was the mufti of Jerusalem between the years 1994-2006. Although another official explanation was provided for his leaving office, he was removed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, due to his extremist views, which did not comport with official PA policy. Indeed, if his public pronouncements are any indication of his political persuasion, Sabri falls closer into the Hamas camp. He has participated in several events commemorating terrorists in the past.