Israel is seeking to seize control of Aqsa Mosque

Head of the Aqsa Mosque rehabilitation committee Bassam al-Hallaq has affirmed that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) is seeking to have control over the Aqsa Mosque compound and supervise any development projects taking place there.

Hallaq, who was detained twice recently, told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the Israeli police banned his entry to the Aqsa Mosque for one week at the pretext he conducted renovation works at the Islamic holy site without their permit.

He underlined that he works for the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and has been assigned by the Islamic Awqaf Authority in Jerusalem to supervise development projects at the Aqsa Mosque, asserting that Jordan has an exclusive mandate over the Mosque.

He said that he has been working for the Aqsa Mosque for over 38 years without asking for a single permission from the Israeli authorities to do his job, pointing out that the authorities in Jordan was informed about those Israeli violations against the Mosque and its employees.