Mufti of Tripoli and the North, Sheikh Malek Shaar, issued a statement on Friday hereby clarifying meetings he had held which included Jewish rabbi Alex Goldberg.

"On 15/1/2019, upon an appointment made a month earlier by the Association of Dialogue for Reconciliation and Life, Mufti Shaar received a foreign delegation from 12 states comprising 27 persons from different religions," the statement read. 

"The delegation was presided by Professor Gwen Griffith-Dickson, chairwoman of the Lokahi Foundation," it indicated, adding that the visit came within the frame of "Global Exchange," an EU-funded project, in enhancement of inter-religious dialogue and coexistence.

"The Mufti did not meet with anybody on the sidelines of the said event, in their personal capacity," the statement clarified. 

"Jews are present in many Islamic and Arab states (...) our problem is with the Jews occupying al-Quds and the lands in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and the neighborhood," it stressed. 

"We reject all occupiers and attackers, whether Jewish or not," it said.