Jerusalem Awqaf condemns Israeli violations at Umayyad Palaces

AMMAN — Jerusalem Awqaf Department Director Azzam Khatib Tamimi has condemned Israel’s violations  against the Umayyad Palaces area to the south and southwest of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Thursday.

In a letter of protest sent to the occupation force chief in Jerusalem, Tamimi denounced Israel’s violations as an occupation force, stressing that it is legally bound to preserve the status quo before 1967 and honour the 1994 Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty.

Tamimi demanded that the occupation authorities halt excavations and end the destruction of Arab and Islamic heritage sites. 

He called for removing a makeshift metal roof set up in the centre of the Umayyad Palaces site.

Tamimi also called for removing the metal and wooden platforms set up to expand the yards designated for Jewish prayers next to the mosque’s Western Wall. The Israeli authorities decided last week to expand the platforms, according to Petra.

Tamimi, whose team is affiliated with the  Awqaf Ministry, stressed the Hashemite custodianship on Al Aqsa Mosque, urging Israel to respect everything related to Al Haram Al Sharif, Islam’s third-holiest shrine.

He concluded with an explicit demand to return the palaces to the jurisdiction of his department.