International involvement in the Supervision of the Temple Mount reported
Today’s online Jerusalem Post reports an interesting development relating to the supervision and oversight of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The location of the temple which was the focus of the early church and Judaism until its destruction in 70 CE, will be placed under Jordanian custody according to a statement reported in the London based Al-Quds al-Arabi.This is the substance of a purported agreement between the Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and the Palestinian Authorities Prime Minister Abbas.
While custody is reported to be given to Jordan, supervision of the temple mount will be given to an international body including the United Nations, Egypt, Jordan Israel and the Palestinian Authority according the to JPost report.
The report has been denied by the Prime Minister’s Office. Understandably, it has drawn fierce criticism from the religious parties in Israel’s Knesset. If any aspect of the report was true, it would appear that Palestinian elements were ceding control and influence over the most valuable bargaining chip in their relationship with Israel.
Jordanian involvement with the Temple Mount and the Islamic holy sites located there is not new.Following the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Jordan took control of the West Bank with East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount and continued in that role until driven east of the Jordan River in the 1967 war.Apparently, the Israeli’s in their 1994 treaty with Jordan included a provision for a future Jordanian involvement in the Islamic sites under Israel’s control.The future of the holy sites is apparently to be on the agenda for a Middle East peace conference to be held next month in Annapolis, Maryland. It will be fascinating to see what surfaces at that event.
