The Palestinian presidency hastened to refute the allegations made by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, made today, Sunday, claiming that "all decisions regarding the Temple Mount and Jerusalem will be taken by the government of Israel, which is the sovereign owner of the city, without any concern for external considerations."
The official spokesman for the presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said, "The League of Nations resolution of 1930, according to the Shaw Committee, stipulates that the ownership of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Al-Buraq Wall and the square opposite it belongs to Muslims alone."
He added that East Jerusalem, "with its Islamic and Christian holy sites, is the eternal capital of the State of Palestine in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, the latest of which was Resolution No. 2334, which affirmed that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories, and that all forms of settlement are illegal in all Palestinian territories."
The spokesman for the Palestinian presidency added, "Any Israeli attempts to legitimize its occupation of the lands of the State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, are unsuccessful attempts aimed at covering up the Palestinian achievements, which were achieved with the steadfastness of our people and their adherence to their Islamic and Christian sanctities."
Abu Rudeineh pointed out that the only way to achieve security, peace and stability in our region and the world as well "is the recognition of the rights of our Palestinian people and the recognition of the resolutions of international legitimacy that stipulate the necessity of ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the 1967 borders."
In response to Bennett's statements in which he said that Israel respects all religions, Abu Rudeineh said, "These statements are misleading and incorrect, as evidenced by the continuous incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the harassment of worshipers in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during the last holiday celebrations."
Earlier today, the Israeli Prime Minister said, in a speech at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting, that "all decisions related to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the city of Jerusalem will be taken by Israel, which he considered the "owner of sovereignty over the city regardless of any external considerations."
Bennett was responding to statements made Saturday by Mansour Abbas, head of the United Arab List, a partner in the Israeli government coalition, and considered in his statements that the solution to the Al-Aqsa Mosque issue is the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Abbas added that his party's demands regarding Israeli measures on the Temple Mount are determined and managed by Jordan's King Abdullah II, given that he has authority over Al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem under the Hashemite guardianship.
The Israeli prime minister responded to Abbas's statements by saying, "All decisions regarding the Temple Mount and Jerusalem will be taken by Israel, which is the sovereign over the city, regardless of any external considerations," claiming that Israel "will continue to maintain respectful treatment for all religions. A united Jerusalem is the capital of one state that is Israel".
In another context, Bennett announced during his speech today the formation of a "civilian national guard to be deployed in cities to confront armed Palestinian operations."
He explained that the plan "will depend on the border guard forces, as well as the recruitment of trained forces of volunteers and reserve soldiers, all of whom will be defined as the Civil National Guard."
It is noteworthy that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque has witnessed, since the beginning of last Ramadan, an escalation of tensions, following the continued incursions of settlers.
The incursions were suspended during the last ten days of Ramadan, but they resumed last Thursday, under heavy security from the Israeli police.
It is known that the Jerusalem Endowments Department, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Endowments, Sanctuaries and Islamic Affairs in Jordan, is the official supervisor of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Endowments for (Eastern) Jerusalem under international law, which considers the Kingdom the last local authority supervising those holy sites before their occupation by Israel.