Saudi, ‘Israel’ engaged in secret talks over Al Aqsa mosque custody
Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- The occupation state and Saudi Arabia have been conducting secret talks about including Saudi representatives in the Islamic Waqf Council at the Al Aqsa mosque in occupied Jerusalem, Israel Hayom reported Monday.
“These are sensitive and secret discussions conducted with ambiguity and low intensity with a small team of diplomats and senior security officials from Israel, the US and Saudi Arabia as part of negotiations to progress the Deal of the Century,” said senior Saudi diplomats to Israel Hayom.
The move was said to come as Jordan is reportedly increasingly worried by the levels of Turkish influence in Palestinian affairs and matters concerning East Jerusalem, according to the newspaper.
Palestinians who were added to the council in recent months have allegedly been allowing for increased involvement of Islamic-Turkish organizations in the holy mosque, under the auspices of Turkey.
As a result, Jordan has sent messages to the occupation state and the US that they would be ready to soften their position when it comes to integrating Saudi representatives into the Waqf Council, claimed the newspaper.
Jordan’s royal family is the custodianship of Jerusalem Muslim and Christian holy sites. The legacy traces back to 1924 when the Supreme Muslim Council, the highest Muslim body in charge of Muslim community affairs in Mandatory Palestine, accepted Hussein bin Ali (Sharif of Mecca) as custodian of Al-Aqsa. The custodianship became a Hashemite legacy administered by consecutive Jordanian kings.
KIn 1967, the occupation state occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which were both under the Jordan control, but the custodianship of holy sites in Jerusalem remained with Jordan.
