Libya's Grand Mufti Sheikh Sadiq El-Gharyani has cautioned that the minister of labour's visit to Palestine might be a first step towards normalizing ties with the Israeli occupation authority.

"The Libyan delegation's visit is alien to the Libyan people.. normalizing with the Israelis in Palestine is the last thing the Libyans think of doing," he said.

The Mufti questioned whether Labour Minister Ali Al-Abed acted on his own or upon an order from the government, as he called on him to take a step back and not continue on this path.

The Ministry of Labour justified its visit by saying its delegation entered through the Karama crossing point in Jordan and that the recruitment agreement it signed with the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah would benefit 10,000 Palestinians.

Sheikh El-Gharyani regarded these justifications as flimsy excuses, noting that on the other side of the Jordanian Karama crossing stands an Israeli-controlled crossing point, which grants the go-ahead clearance for entering the West Bank.

"This proves a respective agreement and communication with the Zionists and confirms that they are the ones who granted entry permission to the labour minister," the Mufti said.

Al-Abed's visit to the Palestinian territories sparked wide criticism on the public and official levels.

Last Sunday, the High Council of State (HCS) condemned the visit of minister Al-Abed, to the occupied West Bank, saying that it was for testing waters and a prelude to other stages of dealing with the Israeli entity.