AMMAN —
Jordan demanded reinstating its longstanding role as the custodian of
Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s old city in the wake of constant attacks and incursions
by Israeli occupying forces and settler groups, Arabi21 news website reported.
اضافة اعلان
Traditionally,
Jordan has been the guardian of
Muslim and Christian holy shrines in
Jerusalem’s walled old city since the occupying forces captured the territory
from the kingdom in the 1967 war. The Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty, concluded
in 1994, recognizes a ‘’special’’ Jordanian role in guarding the shrines.
However, Israeli
forces have often breached the terms of the treaty with Jordan and accords with
the
Palestinians, making bloody incursions into Al-Aqsa, Islam’s second holiest
shrine. Militant Israeli settlers have also repeatedly broken into the mosque
compound, often under protection by Israeli forces, for unscheduled
prayers--also violating a longstanding status quo.
Arabi21 said
among the eight Jordanian demands is the “return to the historical status,”
which includes the transfer of the full powers confiscated by the occupation
police to the Kingdom’s Awqaf Directorate. Jordan also demanded the suspension
of the occupation’s exclusive authority to determine arrangements for visits by
Muslim worshippers.
The demands, made
in a document communicated with the occupation authorities through the US, also
requested the cessation of other violations, such as the often-violent
incursions by Jewish settlers, the forced removal of Jordanian Awqaf guards
byIsraeli police and allowing Jews to pray inside Al-Aqsa, a purely Muslim
shrine.
A non-official
occupation response came via political commentator Yitzhak Reiter, who said
Israel must be allowed to organize visits by Jewish groups into the Al-Aqsa
Mosque in addition to allowing such visits from all nine gates instead of one.
He said it was important
to build a higher fence over the Western Wall to prevent stones from being
hurled by Palestinians from reaching the settlers.
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