Palestinian FM says surveillance on Temple Mount ‘a new trap by Israelis’

The Palestinian Authority voiced skepticism on Sunday about the deal reached between Israel and Jordan regarding the Temple Mount, under the auspices of US Secretary of State John Kerry.

 

Hamas and other radical Palestinian groups rejected the agreement, which calls for installing 24-hour surveillance cameras at the Temple Mount, holy to Muslims as the site of al-Aksa Mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock.

 

In statements issued from the Gaza Strip, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups called for escalating attacks on Israel, alleging that Kerry’s efforts were designed to “thwart the Intifada.”

 

Jordan welcomed Netanyahu’s assertion that the status quo on the Temple Mount would be preserved. Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh described Netanyahu’s remarks as a “step in the right direction.”

 

However, PA Foreign Minister Riad Malki was dismissive of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s statements that he is committed to preserving the status quo at the Temple Mount.

 

Malki told the PA’s Voice of Palestine radio station that Netanyahu cannot be trusted because he has failed to fulfill previous promises he had made to Kerry and Jordan to allow unlimited access to Muslims at the Temple Mount.

 

“We don’t trust any pledges made by Netanyahu,” Malki said. He also criticized Kerry for describing Netanyahu’s latest pledges as historic. He said that such pledges should be made by the UN Security Council and should be binding on all parties, including Netanyahu.

 

Malki denounced the decision to install security cameras at the Temple Mount as “another trap.” He worried that the footage would be used by Israel to arrest Palestinians under the pretext of committing incitement.

 

Read More: Palestinian FM says surveillance on Temple Mount ‘a new trap by Israelis’ – Arab-Israeli Conflict – Jerusalem Post