Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud AbbasFlash 90

The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), headed by Mahmoud Abbas, met last Saturday at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.

At the end of the meeting that was attended by PLO unity government Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, an announcement was made warning of the dangers of the Jerusalem municipality's decision to build "Jewish facilities" at the "Al-Buraq Plaza," a name used in recent years for the Kotel (Western Wall) in an ahistorical attempt to claim it as a Muslim site.

The uproar comes regarding the construction plans of “Beit Haliba,” which is being promoted by the government and Jerusalem Municipality. According to the PLO, the construction plan is a serious blow to "Islamic holy places."

Palestinian Arabs have attempted to claim the Western Wall and surrounding plaza as part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque that was built on the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.

The Arab claim posits that the Kotel is where Mohammed tethered his mythical winged horse, Al-Buraq, which according to Muslim legend flew him up to heaven in a "night journey." There is however no Koranic or other mainstream Islamic source to back that narrative.

The PLO Executive Committee also stated that the fight against any manifestation of terrorism in the Middle East and the world must bring an end to the "Israeli occupation," and establish an independent Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem.

The PLO warned that "the continued occupation fuels all forms of extremism and violence in the region and the world."