By Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN - Jordanian experts will take part in a UNESCO-sponsored technical meeting to be held in Jerusalem today to discuss the issue of Israeli excavations in the city and a proposed bridge linking the Mughrabi Pathway to the Western Wall in Al Aqsa Mosque compound.

Jordan’s participation in the meeting stems from a firm stand considering the Old City’s gate as part of the Holy Shrines in Jerusalem that remain under the jurisdiction, responsibility and supervision of Jordanian Islamic Awqaf authorities, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Nasser Judeh told The Jordan Times on Friday.

Judeh stressed that the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is the only party that is responsible for renovations and restoration works in Al Haram Al Sharif.

In February last year, the Israeli antiquities authority started demolition of historic sites near the Western Wall of the holy sites compound. The plan is to build a permanent bridge/walkway for Jewish settlers to access the Jewish Wailing Wall, or Al Buraq Wall in the Muslim tradition.

Jordan has warned against the Israeli excavations and the expected damage to the sites, which represent violations to relevant Security Council resolutions in an attempt to change the legal status of the Old City, which is on the list of UNESCO’s protected world heritage sites.

Judeh reiterated Jordan’s historic rights in preserving the Holy Shrines in Jerusalem, highlighting the series of Hashemite restoration projects.

In a March 2007 report following a mission to check on the Israeli plans, UNESCO’s team recommended that Israel “should be asked to engage immediately a consultation process with all concerned parties, in particular… Jordan”, which signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1994, under which the Kingdom enjoys a special status as the party in charge of the holy sites in Jerusalem, continuing a role the Hashemite leaders of the country have pursued since 1924.

The report also called on Israel to stop immediately the archaeological excavations, given that the excavations that had been undertaken were deemed to be sufficient for the purpose of assessing the structural conditions of the pathway.

In an interview with Maghreb Arabe Presse ahead of a visit today to Rabat, His Majesty King Abdullah said Jerusalem has throughout history had a special place in the hearts of the Hashemites, as well as the Islamic and Arab nations.

Chairing a meeting of the Hashemite Fund for the Construction of Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock’s Board of Trustees in September, the King noted that the fund was launched mainly to institutionalise work for the holy city.

He urged the fund officials to do their utmost to stand up to the “multifaceted” challenges facing their work, announcing a JD1.1 million donation to the fund.