Cameras Click Shut (See New Update)

Guess what: Jordan caved in to Islamist extremist pressure:

PM: Jordan cancels plan to install cameras in Al Aqsa Mosque

Poor John Kerry.


Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour 

said on Monday that

"the main objective behind Jordan's decision to install surveillance cameras at Haram Al Sharif compound and not inside the mosque, was to monitor and document the continued Israeli violations against Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, which extends over an area of 144 dunums.

But there are no violations!

"At the beginning, Israel tried to hinder the project through various means, but we were able to overcome that," Ensour added.

Hinder? Israel wanted to show all violations, all incitement, all violence and especially the Waqf connivance with the terrorists.  Israel wanted Jordan to share in the responsibility for overseeing their Waqf.

But

"However, we were surprised since our intention to carry out the project, by the response of some of our Palestinian brethren to the project, adding that they voiced their concern and cast doubt on its aims and objectives. "As we respect the points of views of our brethren in Palestine in general and in Jerusalem in particular, and because we always affirm our full support to the Palestinians and their aspirations at all times, we found that this project is a point of contentious and therefore, we decided to halt its implementation.

Well, moderate Jordan disappoints the United States and does not live up to its committments.

Regional stability anyone?

(h/t=IMRA)

And from the Jordan Times:

Realising that the plan might cause controversy, Jordan found it a sound decision to freeze the project, the premier said...

...Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Hayel Dawood last month rejected as baseless remarks by Raed Salah, head of the Islamist movement in Israel, that the Jordanian surveillance cameras project in Al Aqsa Mosque would serve Israel 

__________________________

UPDATE

John Kirby, Spokesperson, Daily Press Briefing

Washington, DC, April 18, 2016

...QUESTION: So the much-vaunted cameras on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif --

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- concept/idea/project appears to have finally bitten the dust today with the Jordanians saying they’re dropping the whole thing. This was one of the main things that Secretary Kerry pointed to as a success when he was back in the region in October trying to calm the situations down. So what’s your reaction? What’s his, if you’ve talked to him about it?

MR KIRBY: Yeah, certainly have seen the reports that they’re halting their plans. I think in general we still believe that tools like cameras could be a very useful way of increasing transparency and potentially helping work to decrease the violence. So we still see the value in the use of cameras. Now, the Jordanians can speak to the decision that they’ve made now to halt this project. We think it’s unfortunate, and we continue to believe in the value of that tool for that purpose. And more broadly, we continue to urge all sides to restore calm, reduce the violence, and take affirmative steps.

QUESTION: Well, is the camera idea one that you – that the Administration or the Secretary in particular is willing to bring up again to try to revive?

MR KIRBY: I think I would just leave it where I did. We still see that there’s a value to that tool.

QUESTION: Well, okay. The Jordanians say that they’re dropping it because the – concerns from the Palestinians.

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: So, I mean, are you willing – do you think it is an important enough idea to try to convince President Abbas and other Palestinian officials of the need – or the desirability of having these?

MR KIRBY: I don’t have anything specifically to announce today about whether or not the Secretary is going to revisit the idea with Jordanian authorities, but again, I’d just say we continue to believe that that tool is a good one to increase transparency. And while we supported the cameras as a means, we still have been clear that implementation obviously is up to the parties, and one of the parties now in this case has decided not to move forward. As I said, it’s unfortunate. I can’t tell you at this time that we’re going to be assertive in terms of trying to have it revisited, but it doesn’t mean that we’ve changed our mind with respect to the value of that as a tool to increase transparency.

QUESTION: So your impression is that the Jordanian decision is final, it’s not just putting the whole project on hold and maybe revisit it later on?

MR KIRBY: Well, I mean, they – I can just point you to what they’ve said. They’ve said --

QUESTION: Because it’s only like – what, a few days ago it went into action.

MR KIRBY: They --

QUESTION: What made them decide all of a sudden?

MR KIRBY: Well, you’d have to talk to them. I don’t now. I mean, this is a decision they made. I can only go by what we’ve heard them say about it, that they have halted the program. Again, we still think there’s value in that, but these are – the implementation has to be up to the parties. They are one of the parties; they’ve made this decision and they should speak for the reasons why they did that.

ANOTHER UPDATE

Israel remains in favor of installing security cameras on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, even after Jordan reneged on the project due to Palestinian reservations, a senior official said Tuesday."Israel's support for placing cameras on the Temple Mount remains unchanged. That's because we believe in transparency," the Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity.  "It is regrettable that the Palestinian Authority objects to this idea. It's clear that they don't want repeated Palestinian provocations caught on tape," the official said.

NEW UPDATE:

اعلن وزير الاوقاف والشؤون والمقدسات الاسلامية هايل داود ان وزارة الاوقاف ستعين ١٥٠حارسا جديدا لساحات المسجد الاقصى خلال ايام قليلة ليصبح مجموع الحراس ٤٥٠ حارسا...
وبين ان فريقا من وزارة الاوقاف سيتوجه للقدس قريبا لمقابلة الحراس الجدد.

Translation:

[Jordan's] Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Hayel Dawood
announced that the Ministry will appoint 150 new guards for yards al-Aqsa mosque in a few days for a total of 450 guards guards...He said a team from the Ministry of Awqaf will travel to Jerusalem soon to meet new guards.

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