Source: The Times Of Israel
Palestinians placed notices on the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem warning of plans to smash security cameras installed at the site holy to both Muslims and Jews, which has been at the epicenter of tensions in recent months.
Jordan, which is behind the camera initiative, subsequently stated that the cameras will not be used to monitor the activities of the Muslim worshipers at the two mosques on the Mount, Channel 10 reported Saturday.n October, US Secretary of State John Kerry endorsed a plan to install cameras at the site in a bid to calm repeated disturbances, after talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also agreed to the plan.
Abbas met with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh last month to finalize plans to install the cameras.
The two met in the West Bank city of Ramallah to discuss ways to “protect the status quo in the Al-Aqsa Mosque from Israel’s violations,” the Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported.
The surveillance was to have been set up months ago. But disagreement between Jordan and Israel over what the cameras can show apparently contributed to the delays.
Israel wants cameras installed everywhere in the compound, including in the mosques, to document alleged hoarding of stones and weaponry by Palestinians in preparation for clashes with Israeli security forces. Jordan, the custodian of the shrine, only wants cameras in open areas to show alleged violations by Israeli security forces.
Categories: Israel, Jordan, Middle East, Mosque, Palestine, The Muslim Times