Israel rejects Jordan’s criticism over Temple Mount clashes, blames Waqf: report

Israel has reportedly reacted with outrage following scathing Jordanian criticism of Jerusalem’s handling of events this morning at the Temple Mount, when police officers clashed with Palestinian rioters who tried to prevent Jews from accessing the holy site on the fast day of Tisha B’Av, which coincided this year with the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha.

Jordan has decried “barefaced violations” of the status quo and called for international intervention against Israel.

The Kan public broadcaster says Israel has reacted by placing the blame on the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf, which oversees the site, saying it took deliberate action to have Muslim worshipers entrench themselves inside the compound and stay there long enough to prevent Jews from entering.

The report did not cite a source or specify who in Israel made the rebuke or if and how it was conveyed to Amman.

Muslim authorities have openly admitted that they delayed the start of morning prayers and closed all other mosques in Jerusalem in order to maximize attendance at the Al-Aqsa Mosque at the Temple Mount — with the stated goal of preventing Jews from entering.