(JTA) — The secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation plans to visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Iyad bin Amin Madani will be in Jerusalem on Monday, according to the OnIslam news site.
Clashes over Muslim and Jewish access to the Temple Mount have erupted in recent months.
Madani has urged Muslims to visit Al Aqsa mosque to “confirm that this mosque is a part of their faith.”
Other Muslim leaders have issued fatwas against visiting the compound, saying that doing so validates Israel’s occupation.
The Saudi Arabia-based OIC is an umbrella group of 57 majority Muslim nations.
