TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH:

Royal Committee for Temple Mount Begins Work
Written by Yaniv Berman
Published Friday, September 28, 2007 (The Media Line)

The Hashemite Fund for the Renovation of Al-Aq'sa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock’s Board of Trustees conducted their first meeting on September 23. The meeting was attended by Jordan’s King 'Abdallah II, who announced a personal donation of over $1.5 million.

As always, when it concerns the Al-Aq'sa Mosque compound (also known as Temple Mount or Al-Haram A-Sharif), the issue is far more delicate then meets the eye. A simple renovation work in the mosque or in the surrounding compound is often deliberated and argued over by the Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian sides. Nothing is “simple” when it comes to the world's holiest site for Judaism and the third holiest site for Islam.

The new fund is headed by a member of the royal family, Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad – another sign of the importance Jordan attributes to its activity.

Under the 1994 Jordanian-Israeli peace accord Jordan enjoys a special status as the party in charge of the holy Islamic sites in Jerusalem. The Jordanian Ministry of Islamic Endowments is administratively in charge of the Al-Aq'sa compound and pays the salaries of its workers.

The fund has announced it will work to achieve two important goals: renovating the Al-Aq'sa Mosque and its surrounding compound, and supporting the Arab citizens of Jerusalem in order to "enable them to resist Israeli attempts to evict them from their city," according to Prince Ghazi.

"Looking after Jerusalem’s holy sites and supporting the steadfastness of its people are at the center of our attention and are a duty for all Muslims," King 'Abdallah II said during the meeting.

Clearly, Jordan is attributing much importance to the new fund. The question is whether it will be effective in achieving its goals, and if so – will it upset the Israeli authorities?

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