WAQF CONCERNED, FRUSTRATED BY INCREASING ISRAELI

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001907 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE. NSC FOR ABRAMS/RAMCHAND/PASCUAL E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2017 TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS SUBJECT: WAQF CONCERNED, FRUSTRATED BY INCREASING ISRAELI VISITS TO THE HARAM AL-SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT REF: JERUSALEM 01850 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Palestinian media reported hundreds of Israelis visited the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City in numerous visits during mid-October, accompanied by police. Waqf officials confirmed the visits, adding that the Israelis did not attempt to enter or damage buildings at the site. They said, however, that they perceive the increasing number of Israeli visitors at the site as a threat to Waqf control of the area, and warned of the possibility of violence if they damage Muslim places of worship or harass Muslim worshippers. End Summary. HUNDREDS OF ISRAELIS VISIT THE HARAM AL-SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT FOR JEWISH HOLIDAYS -------------- ¶2. (C) Palestinian sources reported that hundreds of Israelis, accompanied by armed Israeli police, repeatedly toured the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in mid-October. Waqf security guard Ahmad Abu Hadid told PolOff that at least 191 Israelis visited on October 15 and over 200 visited on October 16. Unspecified numbers had visited the week before, he said. Abu Hadid said the Israelis toured the grounds in small groups and performed Jewish prayers, in spite of a ban on non-Muslim worship at the site. He said the Israelis did not attempt to enter or damage buildings. WAQF SEES INCREASING VISITS AS "PROVOCATIVE" -------------- ¶3. (C) Waqf Director of Archeology and Tourism Dr. Yusuf al-Natshah told PolOff October 17 that the Waqf is alarmed by the increasing frequency and blatancy of these visits. He said they have gone from "infrequent exceptions" to "routine visits," and the number of police escorts has increased. He said the visitors' rhetoric has become increasingly aggressive, and the Waqf believes they are coordinating their visits in an attempt to set a precedent for Jewish worship at the site. Al-Natshah described the visits as "provocative" and said they "annoy and worry" the Waqf administration, the PA, and the Jordanian government. He said that visits in the past two weeks coincide with Jewish holidays, but he has also observed a general "escalation" of visits over the past year. ¶4. (C) Director of the Waqf Shaykh Azzam al-Khatib publicly warned that the increasing presence of Jewish worshippers in an area he described as belonging to Muslims could provoke a "reaction." He added that any damage inflicted to Muslim holy places would bring "serious repercussions" and appealed to the Islamic world to prevent threats to the Aqsa Mosque. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Palestinians see these visits to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount as part of a broader effort by Israelis to increase control over traditionally Arab areas (ref). However, holy sites are particularly sensitive, and Israeli actions at the Haram/Mount have caused outbursts of violence in the past, such as then-MK Ariel Sharon's visit to the site in 2000, which sparked the second intifada. End comment. WALLES