US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman, Jordan, where they agreed to measures that may help to reduce the violence centered around the Temple Mount. Secretary Kerry announced that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also agreed to these measures.
The steps include round-the-clock video monitoring and Israel reaffirming Jordan’s role as custodian of the site.
Kerry said that Netanyahu had agreed to, “an excellent suggestion by King Abdullah to provide 24-hour video coverage of all sites”, on the Temple Mount. “This will provide comprehensive visibility and transparency and that could really be a game changer in discouraging anybody from disturbing the sanctity of the holy site.”
“Israel will continue to enforce its long-standing policy on religious worship … at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, including the fundamental fact that it is Muslims who pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, and non-Muslims who visit,” Kerry added.
“Keeping the status quo and stopping confrontational settlers from accessing the site are among the first steps Israel should take”, PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh stated. “(We) have to see what steps Israel takes before any move on our part.”
Kerry met with Netanyahu in Berlin on Thursday. At the meeting, Netanyahu reportedly reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to maintaining the status quo at the Temple Mount, which is that non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site, but are forbidden from praying.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Netanyahu had “changed the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque — that’s why we and Jordan are asking the American side to re-establish the situation.”
Erekat also stated that the PA has requested from Kerry the formation of an international investigative committee regarding escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Perhaps most shocking was an announcement by Erekat, saying that Kerry had told Abbas that Netanyahu agreed to a building freeze in Judea and Samaria. If this turns out to be accurate, this could cause a political storm for Netanyahu among Israelis, possibly endangering his narrow right-wing coalition.
