BICOM

Israeli Police yesterday arrested and then released the head of the Waqf, the Islamic foundation that oversees the Temple Mount (Haram al Sharif) in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Sheikh Abdel-Azeem Salhab and his deputy, Najah Bakirat, were arrested for violating an order preventing entry into the prohibited area of Bab al-Rahma, a large structure within the Temple Mount compound.

Israeli police closed off the site in 2003 after it said it had evidence that the Islamic Heritage Association, which operated there, was associated with Hamas. In 2017, a court issued an order to keep the site closed until further notice.

Sheikh Salhab’s arrest was condemned by Jordan’s Islamic Affairs and Holy Places Minister Abdel Naser Abu Elbasal, who called it a “serious escalation” and said Israel was “playing with fire”.

The Waqf wants to re-open the Bab al-Rahma area and claims that the Islamic heritage association has long since been disbanded after its members were arrested. Police in Jerusalem oppose reopening the site.

This morning five Palestinians were arrested in clashes with the police at the Temple Mount. The arrests followed a protest on Friday in which hundreds of Palestinians broke into Bab al-Rahma. On Thursday night Israeli Police arrested 60 East Jerusalem residents in their homes suspected of incitement and rioting ahead of the Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Before the arrests, firebombs were thrown at a security vehicle used to protect the Jewish residents of Silwan. The passengers evacuated the vehicle safely before it was set on fire and destroyed.

Earlier this month, the Jordanian Government increased the number of Waqf members from 12 – 18. Palestinian Authority officials and religious leaders were given positions in the body for the first time and it is understood representatives with close ties to the UAE and Turkey have also been included. Historically, the council been made up of individuals close to the Jordanian monarchy.