Arab MK raises Palestinian flag on Temple Mount

Ahmad Tibi said to call Al-Aqsa Mosque the 'crown jewel of Jerusalem, which will be the capital of Palestine'

Ahmad Tibi holds a Palestinian flag atop the Temple Mount, January 3, 2015 (photo credit: Channel 2 / Tamar Abidat)

Ahmed Tibi, an Arab-Israeli Knesset member, raised the Palestinian flag on the Temple Mount.

Tibi on Saturday led a procession of hundreds of eastern Jerusalem Palestinians to the site in honor of the birthday of the prophet Muhammad.

The United Arab List-Taal party lawmaker called for “an end to the occupation” and said that “the procession sends a message of liberty and peace and a desire to shake free the burden of the occupation in order to gain a normal and free life.”

He called the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where the procession ended, “the crown jewel of Jerusalem, which will be the capital of Palestine,” Ynet reported.

Marchers chanted Tibi’s name, as well as “Tibi, you are the hero of Palestine” and “You are the strongest man who can protect our rights” in Arabic.

Tibi, a medical doctor from the Ra’am-Ta’al party, is the favorite in polls of Arab voters for leader of a new, unified slate for the March 17 elections.

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