As violence in Jerusalem rages on and the fear of Arab riots has placed security forces on high alert, MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List) told Channel 2 in an interview to be broadcast Friday night that “the Jews have no right to pray at the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Tibi explained his words: “[allowing Jews to pray there] is a misuse of the concept of equal rights.” 

“Jews are not allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa because this is a place of worship for Muslims,” added Tibi. “While this is a 70-dunam site, every single meter is holy to Islam.”

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, where the Holy Temples stood before being destroyed, with Muslims building mosques on the site of the ruins centuries later.

According to MK, the Temple Mount is under the “occupation” of eastern Jerusalem, which is the reason for the recent violence there – despite the fact that it is under de facto Jordanian Waqf (Islamic trust) rule.

“Police forces control the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he noted. “If it were under Palestinian rule, there would be no such disturbances.”

This is not the first time Tibi has used his position in the Knesset to attack Israel and its policies. 

Earlier in October, Tibi traveled to London to take part in a diplomatic push to urge the British parliament to recognize “Palestine” as a state. 

During the events leading up to Protective Edge through to the aftermath of the war, Tibi also took several controversial actions. 

In June he proclaimed that Hamas is “not a terror organization.” And regarding the two Arab terrorists who kidnapped and murdered Israeli teens Naftali Frenkel, Eyal Yifrah and Gilad Sha’ar hy”d, Tibi, like his colleague MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad), refused to refer to them as terrorists. 

Additionally, following the recent counter-terror operation in Gaza, Tibi called on the attorney general to investigate the prime minister and defense minister for “war crimes.”