Family of car crash victim denies deceased's involvement in land sales
The denial came after angry residents of east Jerusalem refused to hold a funeral for Qirresh on the pretext that he had been involved in the sale of an Arab-owned house to Jews.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHUpdated: NOVEMBER 10, 2018 22:49Palestinians walk past the Dome of Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, on January 13, 2017(photo credit: AFP PHOTO)
The family of Ala' Qirresh, one of the seven east Jerusalem residents killed in Sunday's road accident on Route 90, denied on Monday that their son had been involved in any real estate transactions with Jews.The denial came after angry residents of east Jerusalem refused to hold a funeral for Qirresh on the pretext that he had been involved in the sale of an Arab-owned house to Jews.Several residents prevented the victim's family from bringing his body to the al-Aqsa Mosque for pre-burial prayers, eyewitnesses said. The residents claimed that Qirresh was a "traitor" who was involved in a real estate transaction with Jews.According to the eyewitnesses, a fistfight erupted at the entrance to the Temple Mount between members of Qirresh's family and a group of young men who tried to stop them from bringing the body into the mosque.Recently, the Palestinian Islamic religious authorities in east Jerusalem renewed its call for prohibiting the sale of Arab-owned property to Jews. The authorities also called for boycotting anyone who is involved in such transactions. The boycott includes banning Muslims from holding prayers for the suspect in a mosque or burying him in an Islamic cemetery.Qirresh's family appeared on Monday to be divided over the accusations against him. Some defended him, saying he was innocent, while others distanced themselves form him, claiming he had indeed been involved in the sale of a house in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem to a Jewish group 10 years ago.
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