Misguided scepticism

At a time when the international community lauded the idea proposed by His Majesty King Abdullah to install surveillance cameras in and around Al Aqsa Mosque in order to keep a close watch over those who violate the sanctity of the holy site, there were sceptical voices that described the proposal as “an Israeli trap!” 

Why these sceptics thought that the constructive and well-intentioned idea is an Israeli trap has yet to be explained. 

The idea was not an Israeli ploy, but rather Jordan’s suggestion for ending — once and for all — the violations in Al Haram Al Sharif compound, and preserving and honouring the Kingdom's special status as the sole custodian of Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.

The idea was to enable Jordan and the world community as a whole to monitor any developments and any Israeli breaches on Al Haram Al Sharif compound, which houses Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest shrine to Muslims all over the world. This step, once implemented, will test Israel’s desire to allow Muslims to pray freely at Al Haram Al Sharif, under Hashemite custody for almost one century.

Jordan was able to extricate a renewed pledge from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to honour this special role and maintain the status quo in Jerusalem by preventing Jewish zealots from attempting to pray in the complex. 

Those who questioned the legitimacy of the idea thought it was an Israeli conspiracy because “Netanyahu cannot be trusted”.

But such voices fail to comprehend that the idea was presented in the first place precisely because Israel cannot be trusted over its commitments to honour Jordan's role and a workable mechanism was needed to monitor Israeli actions in these sites. 

The 24-hour video coverage of all sites on Al Haram Al Sharif would discourage attempts to breach the sanctity of the holy site and ensure that only Muslims worship in the compound.

As to the concerns about who will monitor the screens and how these cameras will be used, and whether the footage would later be used to arrest worshippers — all these issues and many more will be the subject of a collective understanding and agreement in order to ensure that the real purpose of the surveillance will be served and protected. 

Therefore, the negative reactions to the proposal are out of order to say the least.

The Palestinian leadership on Wednesday affirmed that it is in full coordination with Jordan on this idea which is intended to safeguard holy sites in the occupied Palestinian city of Jerusalem.

Chief Palestinian negotiator and Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Secretary General Saeb Erekat voiced support for these Jordanian efforts and position on Jerusalem, describing them as “daring” and “irreversible” and noting that they were coordinated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.