The Palestinians and the Jordanians have set up a joint council for the administration of the Temple Mount and other Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem in an effort to preemptively torpedo the advancement of US President Donald Trump’s regional peace plan.
Yoni Ben-Menachem, a veteran Arab affairs and diplomatic commentator for Israel radio and television and a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, revealed this information to Israel Hayom in an exclusive report.
Ben-Menachem told the Hebrew daily that the move constitutes “a violation of the Oslo agreement and seriously harms Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem.”
Senior Fatah officials confirmed that cooperation has been accelerated ahead of the peace plan, which Trump said he will reveal shortly after the April 9 elections in Israel.
Yoni Ben-Menachem, a veteran Arab affairs and diplomatic commentator for Israel radio and television and a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, revealed this information to Israel Hayom in an exclusive report.
Ben-Menachem told the Hebrew daily that the move constitutes “a violation of the Oslo agreement and seriously harms Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem.”
Senior Fatah officials confirmed that cooperation has been accelerated ahead of the peace plan, which Trump said he will reveal shortly after the April 9 elections in Israel.
The first steps were taken only days ago and comes, according to the report. A senior Fatah official said the move was because the Jordanians and the Palestinians fear that within the framework of the regional peace plan, responsibility for the Temple Mount will be transferred to a joint Arab-Islamic council, granting Saudi Arabia official status around the al-Aqsa mosque.
In contrast, a senior Arab diplomat told the Hebrew daily that the move was made with the agreement of Jordan and Saudi Arabia and was intended to soften Palestinian resistance to the peace plan.
In contrast, a senior Arab diplomat told the Hebrew daily that the move was made with the agreement of Jordan and Saudi Arabia and was intended to soften Palestinian resistance to the peace plan.
It makes sense the King of Jordan doesn't want to relinquish his position over the mosque to either "internationalize Jerusalem" or to Israel.
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