The Jordanian Foreign Ministry's official spokesman, Daif Allah Al-Fayez, announced today, Wednesday, that the ministry has sent a memorandum of protest to Israel for its actions on the western wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Al-Fayez as saying that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the continued actions of the Israeli authorities on the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which forms an integral part of the mosque.
He added that the ministry sent an official protest note to the Israeli side regarding these actions, and that Israel, as an occupying power, must respect its obligations in this regard and immediately stop the work.
According to Al-Fayez, the Department of Jerusalem Endowments and the Affairs of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque is the national authority with exclusive jurisdiction to manage all affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque under international law, and that all maintenance and restoration work in the 144-square-meter mosque - including fences - is within the exclusive powers of the Awqaf Administration Jerusalem.
Historical and legal status
Al-Fayez stressed the need for Israel to adhere to the historical and legal status quo in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and held it - as an occupying power - fully responsible for the safety of the mosque and its walls.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is located in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured after the 1967 war, and is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Israeli forces control the entrances to the site, which is administered by the Islamic Waqf Department of Jordan.
Israel - which signed a peace treaty with Jordan in 1994 - recognizes the kingdom's supervision of Islamic holy sites in the city.
It is noteworthy that Jordan reserved the right to supervise religious affairs in Jerusalem under the Wadi Araba Agreement (Jordan-Israel Peace Agreement signed in 1994).
In March 2013, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed an agreement giving Jordan the right to "guardianship and defend Jerusalem and holy sites" in Palestine.