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Temple Mount camera monitoring welcomed by Israel, Kerry opposed by Palestinians
Israel and US Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed a Jordanian suggestion to introduce 24/7 video surveillance at the Temple Mount in order to calm tensions, but Palestinian leaders have rejected the idea.
Kerry held talks last week with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then on Saturday met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman. Kerry is attempting to defuse the current wave of violence, which has seen 11 Israelis killed. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a holy site for Jews and Muslims, has been a focal point of the unrest. Israeli leaders have repeatedly rejected Palestinian accusations of an intention to alter the status quo at the site, whereby only Muslim prayer is permitted.
Netanyahu again reiterated Israel’s commitment to the status quo in televised comments on Saturday night, saying that, “Israel will continue to enforce its longstanding policy: Muslims pray on the Temple Mount; non-Muslims visit the Temple Mount.” Netanyahu also said that there would be “increased coordination between the Israeli authorities and the Jordanian Waqf,” the Muslim religious authority which administers the Temple Mount.
As a practical measure, Jordan suggested the installation of 24/7 surveillance cameras to monitor Temple Mount activity. Kerry called the idea a potential “game changer in discouraging anybody from disturbing the sanctity of this holy site.” He said it would provide “comprehensive visibility and transparency,” adding, “I expect Jordanian and Israeli technical teams will meet soon to discuss the implementation.”
Netanyahu said he supports “cameras being deployed everywhere on the Temple Mount.” Alluding to the recent incidents in which local Arabs have rioted at the site, Netanyahu said the cameras will help “show where the provocations are really coming from.”
However, PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told Voice of Palestine radio that such surveillance is “a new trap” to frame Palestinians. Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat alleged that Netanyahu “wants to install cameras in order to monitor and arrest our people, he is lying.”