JORDAN TO APPOINT 75 NEW AQSA MOSQUE GUARDS

Bethlehem, 13 Safar 1436/6 December 2014 (MINA) – Jordan is set to appoint 75 new guards to work at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the director of the mosque said Friday.

“The new employees will begin work in the coming days,” Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani told Ma’an  as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

Some 450 employees from the Jordanian endowment work in the Aqsa compound, 200 of whom are from the West Bank.

Some 40 employees have been banned from entering the holy site for security reasons while seven guards are currently in Israeli prison custody.

Israel eased restrictions again on Friday for the third week in a row, al-Kiswani said, although Israeli rightists are still frequently visiting the holy site.

Employees are in regular contact with Jordanian officials to update them on the visits and other violations.

Israeli security officials have been publicly mulling a bill recently to ban the presence of Muslim guards at the Aqsa compound.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is sensitive for Palestinians due to its status as the third holiest site in Islam and its location in the heart of the Old City of Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, referred to by Jews as the Temple Mount, is also the holiest site in Judaism.(T/R04/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)