Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh made an urgent call Tuesday on the international Arab and Muslim community to stop what he called Israel's "Judaization" of Jerusalem and attacks on the Jewish state's Muslim minority.
Speaking to journalists in Cairo after two days of meetings with Egyptian officials on the first leg of his tour of the Middle East, Haniyeh slammed Israel for the "demolition of houses, villages and ethnic cleansing" in Jerusalem, pan-Arab news outlet Elaph reported.
RELATED:Hamas PM begins tour of Arab, Islamic countries Muslim Brotherhood welcomes Hamas PM in Egypt He called on Arab states to step up efforts to stop the "Judaization" of
Jerusalem, a city many Palestinians see as the future capital of a Palestinian state, through financial and political means, according to
Elaph.
Haniyeh also mentioned the "muezzin bill," a law that would ban the use
of a PA system for the Muslim call to prayer. The Hamas prime minister
said this law, as well as the issue in Jerusalem, were proof of Israel's
campaign against "Muslim symbols."
The Hamas prime minister is touring the Arab world for the
first time
since 2007.
Hamas officials including Haniyeh have said that the so-called Arab Spring
uprisings have had a positive impact on Hamas's cause, citing the
success of Islamist parties in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia
following the overthrow of their respective governments.
He is scheduled to visit Sudan,
Turkey, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia following his stint in Egypt.
Unconfirmed reports said that
Haniyeh will also visit Benghazi for talks with the new leaders of
Libya.