Jerusalem Affairs Committee denounces Israeli break-ins at Bab Al Rahma

AMMAN — Break-ins at Bab Al Rahma (Gate of Mercy) are linked with “Zionist lies related to the attempt to revive Talmudic myths”, which often coincide with Islamic and Christian occasions and are converted for “colonial events”, Secretary-General of the Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs Abdullah Kanaan said on Thursday.

In a statement cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Kanaan said that the Zionist scheme poses a threat to the eastern area of Al Aqsa Mosque from the area between the Bab Al Rahma and Al Marwani praying area, with the aim of establishing a synagogue (Jewish temple).

The secretary general said that this synagogue aims to act as the focal point for the attempted imposition of a temporal partition of Al Aqsa Mosque.

Jordan’s position as the Hashemite Custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem is “firm and unaltered” towards Palestine, and particularly towards Jerusalem, Kanaan said.

With regard to Al Aqsa Mosque, Kanaan said that the Hashemite Custodianship is an extension of the historical and legal status quo, meaning that the Jordan-run Jerusalem Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department is the only authorised entity to supervise the mosque’s affairs.

The secretary-general also stressed that the Kingdom rejects all breaches of the occupation forces and subsequent violations of the status quo.

Israel must abide by the international legitimacy resolutions related to the Palestinian cause, including UNESCO's decision determining exclusive Islamic ownership of Al Aqsa Mosque, with its total area of 144 dunums, and rejecting any Jewish relationship to the mosque, Kanaan said.