“We do not want the status quo as he (Netanyahu) understands”, added Mr. Shaath, and which is imposed, he said, by the Israelis after the visit of Ariel Sharon on the esplanade, triggering the second Intifada in 2000.
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Netanyahu, he said, had promised King Abdullah of Jordan and Kerry that Muslims would be granted unrestricted access to Temple Mount ahead of the month of Ramadan last June, only to restrict the age of men eligible to enter to above 40 or 50.
Palestinian officials and representatives from the Waqf had no immediate comment, saying they were still awaiting details.
On the other side, Israeli security forces have killed at least 45 Palestinians – a few during attacks- and wounded 1,850 in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
That has set off widespread concern among Palestinians that the status quo is being undermined and that division of the site is coming – a claim the Israeli government has repeatedly denied.
Jews perform religious rites at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known as the Temple Mount in Judaism.
The Coalition of Temple Organizations, an assembly of Jewish groups advocating for the right of Jews to pray on Temple Mount, issued an angry statement Sunday following Netanyahu’s announcement that Jews would not be allowed to pray at the site. Israel has accused Palestinian political and religious leaders of lying and inciting violence.
“That’s why we’ve asked the United Nations for global protection, which is a legitimate request”, Abbas said.
After days of meetings with Israeli and Arab leaders, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced Saturday that Israel and Jordan, the custodian of the holy site, agreed to a series of steps, Including the video surveillance, to halt the violence.
Kerry said video monitoring would provide “comprehensive visibility and transparency, and that could really be a game changer in discouraging anybody from disturbing the sanctity of this holy site”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the new measure at Al-Aqsa was taken to allay Palestinian fears that Israel was planning to change longstanding rules governing the site.
“The Temple Mount will be managed as it has been until now”.
The “status quo”, the rules governing the esplanade, third holy place of Islam also revered by Jews as the site of their ancient temple, prohibits non-Muslims to pray there.
“The movement noted that the declaration equates Muslim prayer rights with visitation rights for non-Muslims, and could be used to justify provocative visits by Zionist extremist settlers”, the statement said.
It remained unclear how the new arrangement will work, when it will begin and who will be doing the monitoring.
Netanyahu issued a statement Saturday repeating Israel’s commitment to upholding the status quo “in word and in practice” and saying it has “no intention” to divide the compound.
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Israeli security forces stand guard as they prevent Palestinians from approaching the area where Palestinian Ahmed Ikmel, 16, was killed Saturday after he allegedly attempted to stab an Israeli security guard at the Jalama checkpoint near Jenin, West Bank, Saturday, October 24, 2015.
