A group of young Palestinians on Saturday held a party inside an inactive mosque at an Israeli-controlled Nabi Musa shrine on the West Bank, raising strong criticism across the Palestinian Authority.
Hundreds of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem attended the party which featured alcohol and a mix of men and women – both strictly forbidden in the Muslim faith.
Palestinian youth party at Nabi Musa shrine
Partygoers shared videos and images online from the party in real time, eliciting lively responses from many Palestinian consumers who promoted the event as nothing short of “sacrilege. “
Cover Nabi Musa
(Photo: yair paz)
Several disgraced Palestinian users reached the site after seeing the posts on social media and quickly spread the party.
The site, believed to be the burial place of Moses according to the Muslim faith, is at the heart of one of the most important pilgrimages for Palestinians, arriving from Jerusalem to Nabi Musa in the spring, and is considered as a saint.
The Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism came under heavy fire after several attendees said the incident was approved by the ministry.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has announced the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate the events that led to the party at the holy site.
Hussam Abu al-Rub, Palestinian deputy minister of religious affairs, said the party had not been allowed to hold.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh
(Photo: Reuters)
“Our ministry (which also oversees the site because of its sanctity) did not allow anyone to party there,” al-Rub said in a statement. “We did not know at all about what was happening in Nabi Musa. What happened there is strange. We will not be silent and persecute anyone who took part.”
The Gaza-based terror group Hamas also issued a statement criticizing the incident.
“What happened at the Nabi Musa Mosque is the destruction of the sanctity of the house of God. We criticize that this was done with the official permission of Mohammad Shtayyeh’s government. Everyone responsible for the act must bring this to justice., “read the statement.