WAQF DIRECTOR REPLACED WHILE OUT OF THE COUNTRY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000443 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/SHAMPAINE/BELGRADE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2017 TAGS: PREL KWBG PBTS KHUM KPAL IS SUBJECT: WAQF DIRECTOR REPLACED WHILE OUT OF THE COUNTRY REF: JERUSALEM 367 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Adnan Husseini was replaced March 2 as director of the Waqf by the Jordanian government while he was out of the country trying to gather support in Turkey and Qatar for protests against excavations by the Israeli Antiquities Authority at the Mughrabi Gate ramp. Husseini is being replaced by Azam al-Khatib, a senior official at the Waqf. ¶2. (C) Sources among the Waqf staff told Pol Specialist that the Jordanian government's decision to retire Husseini came as a surprise to the former director, and there is speculation that the decision is a result of Husseini's handling of the Mughrabi Gate issue. Excavations continue at the Mughrabi Gate ramp, but protests have eased considerably since Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski decided February 11 to delay plans to build a new ramp at the site. WALLES