Jordan to send 150 additional inspectors to monitor Temple Mount: report

Jordan is sending 150 new inspectors to monitor activities at the Temple mount, the Israeli daily Haaretz reports.

The addition of 150 inspectors would increase the number of inspectors at the site by 50 percent, said Haaretz, however, it could take a number of months to put into action.

The decision comes a little over a week after the Hashemite Kingdom announced that it was suspending the plan to install 55 security cameras around the flashpoint complex over Palestinian opposition to it.

According to Haaretz, The two main governing bodies of the Palestinians, The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip, accused Jordan of collaborating with Israel, leading to the Jordanian decision over the cameras.

The compound, known to Muslims as the Al-Aqsa mosque but to Jews as the Temple Mount, is holy to both religions, and the holiest site in Jerusalem. It is administered by a Jordanian trust or "Waqf" but Israel controls access.

According to biblical tradition, the first and second Jewish temples were located at the site before being destroyed by the Babylonians and the Romans.

Clashes have often erupted at the site in recent years, over fears that Israel is plotting to change rules which currently state that Muslims can pray there, while Jews can visit but are not allowed to pray.

Israel has in the past limited Muslim access to al-Aqsa Mosque on the site, especially in times of heightened tension and around important holidays.

This tension led to discussions between the US, Israel and Jordan in October over how to scale down the level of conflict over the site as well as how to restore mutual trust, which led to the suggestion of the CCTV cameras.

On March 20, Jordan said it would set up security cameras around the compound to monitor any Israeli "violations", but later back tracked on the decision after Palestinian objections, saying that the cameras could become "a potential source of conflict."

"Israel's support for placing cameras on the Temple Mount remains unchanged. That's because we believe in transparency," an Israeli official told AFP.

Israel had hoped that the cameras would show that Palestinians are hiding rocks, fire bombs and other weapons used in clashes with Israeli security forces inside the mosque.

As the Passover holiday approached, Jerusalem conveyed messages to Jordan and the Palestinian authority emphasizing that Israeli is committed to the status quo at Jerusalem's Temple Mount and seeks to maintain calm during the holiday.