Minister of Agriculture (Bayit Yehudi) Uri Ariel calls on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to halt the installation of surveillance cameras on Har Habayis in line with Jordanian demands. Ariel says unless the Arabs are willing to accept the installation of cameras in all areas of Har Habayis, there cannot be cameras in any areas. He demands the surveillance cameras must also be installed in the mosques and other areas and these cameras will be controlled exclusively by Israel.

Based on a document that was obtained by Har Habayis activists, Ariel accuses the Prime Minister of weakening Israel’s already compromised sovereignty over Har Habayis. He insists that by not installing cameras in al-Aqsa Mosque the government is granting immunity to the rock-throwers and agitators who cause disturbances on the holy site.

Ariel is responding to statements from Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who explained the cameras will come from Jordan and they will not be installed in the mosque and the control center for the cameras will be on the holy site, controlled by the Islamic Waqf Authority. The Waqf Authority will transfer the videos to the King’s Bureau, which is responsible for the project. The footage will not be made available to Israel unless Jordan decides to release video footage to the entire world.

Ariel explains the king’s words are most serious and agreeing to such an arrangement is tantamount to compromising Israel’s control over the site. He adds Jordan’s interest is to monitor the actions of visiting Jews and that no Jew utters a tefilla on the site.

Yehuda Etzion, a longtime Har Habayis activist and investigator, who monitors Arab media reports pertaining to Har Habayis, adds the Waqf is planning to take over another building on the site under the guise of needing it for their surveillance control center.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)