Waqf rejects all new security measures at Temple Mount

The Jerusalem Waqf says in a press statement it will not accept any new Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount.

Israel placed metal detectors at the entrances to the holy site after three Arab Israelis carried out a shooting attack at the site on July 14, killing two Israeli policemen.

The new measures were met with outright rejection by the Waqf, an Islamic trust that administers the site under the auspices of the Jordanian government, which called on Muslim worshipers to pray in the streets until they are removed.

“We confirm our total rejection of the electronic gates and all new occupation measures that will lead to a change in the historical and religious status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the statement says.

The statement is put out be the combined Islamic religious authorities in Jerusalem, which includes the Waqf, the Supreme Muslim Council and the Mufti of Jerusalem.

— Dov Lieber