Israel gives Islamic authority deadline in holy site closure


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli court has set a 60-day deadline for the Jordanian-appointed council that oversees Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem to respond to its closure of a disputed structure at the city's most sensitive scared site.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry called on Israel to rescind its "dangerous" court-ordered closure Sunday, saying that the Al-Aqsa mosque compound "is not subject to Israeli jurisdiction" and falls under the "exclusive authority of the Waqf," or Islamic council.

The Waqf says it will continue operating in the structure while Jordan and Israel attempt to reach a settlement in the coming weeks.

Israel shuttered the structure in 2003, claiming it was used by a group connected with Islamic militants. The Waqf re-opened the area recently, leading to tense standoffs between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent Religion stories

Related topics

Religion
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast