"Israel has no sovereignty over the holy sites in Jerusalem," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Tuesday evening, in response to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's comments on the status quo on the Temple Mount.
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"Israel has no sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is a Muslim place of worship, only the Jordanian Waqf has full authority over the management of the compound," the minister argued, further adding, "This is occupied Palestinian land."
Safadi, however, expressed hope for a return to calm, saying that "the way forward is to respect the status quo."
He accused the Jewish state of "making difficult all Waqf measures to maintain security in Al-Aqsa Mosque and interfering with the duties of members of the organization. The Waqf office has appointed dozens of new workers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, but Israel is putting obstacles in their way."
As part of its peace treaty with Israel, Jordan is afforded control of the Islamic Waqf – an Islamic religious trust best known for controlling and managing the Islamic edifices on and around the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
About six weeks ago, a request from Jordan was rejected to increase the number of Waqf guards on the Temple Mount by about 50, Prime Minister's Office announced on Tuesday.
It has also been reported that over the past few weeks, six Hamas-backed Waqf guards were removed from the Temple Mount.
"There is no change or new development in the situation on the Temple Mount – Israel's sovereignty is preserved," the Prime Minister's Office said.
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"All decisions regarding the Temple Mount will be made by the Israeli government out of considerations of sovereignty, freedom of religion and security, and not under the pressure of foreign or political factors," he said.
The Jordanian minister made the remarks on the eve of Friday's meeting at the White House between King Abdullah and US President Joe Biden, with the issue of Jerusalem expected to be one of the main topics of the meeting.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
