Jerusalem and the Hashemite Custodianship
Jordanian policy under the leadership of His Majesty of the King emphasizes on every occasion the strong religious, national and historical relationship between the Hashemites, Arabs and Muslims in general with Jerusalem, and the status of this holy city for them, which is a close bond that the Hashemites inherited from generation to generation. It has also been inherited by Arab and Muslim generations for thousands of years. The historic agreement signed by His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on March 31, 2013, to protect the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, is considered as an affirming of the continuous Hashemite attention and care, and an embodiment of the lifetime pledge that the Hashemites carried through History, and as an extension of the pledge of allegiance that took place to Sharif Hussein bin Ali in 1924, to protect, care for, and defend the sanctities in Jerusalem, in the face of Israeli plans to Judaize Jerusalem and its sanctities and obliterate its Arab, Islamic, and Christian civilizational and religious features.
The firm Jordanian position stems from the fact that East Jerusalem is an occupied land, the sovereignty of which belongs to the Palestinians, and the guardianship over its Islamic and Christian holy sites is Hashemite, assumed by the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Majesty King Abdullah II, and the responsibility to protect the city is an international responsibility in accordance with the obligations of states in accordance with international law and international resolutions.
Jordan assures that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, and is subject to the provisions of international law related to the territories under occupation, based on the decisions of international legitimacy, including Security Council Resolution 478, which states that Israel's decision to annex East Jerusalem and declare it as a unified capital is invalid.
In addition, the firm Jordanian position is that East Jerusalem is the capital of the future Palestinian state, on the borders of forth of June 1967, and that all unilateral Israeli measures taken there, whether with regard to settlement activities, land confiscation, displacement, or changing the character of the city, are actions that violate international law, international humanitarian law, and relevant international resolutions.
Hashemite restoration for the holy sites in Jerusalem
The holy sites received special attention from the Jordanian policy, including the restoration and maintenance of damaged or destroyed ones through a series of Hashemite restoration in Jerusalem: -
1- The first Hashemite restoration:
This restoration took place during the reign of Sharif Al-Hussein bin Ali in 1924, when Sharif Al-Hussein bin Ali donated twenty-four thousand pounds in gold for the restoration of Islamic holy sites in the Holy Mosque.
2- The Second Hashemite Reconstruction:
Upon his coronation on 2 May 1953, His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal, he ordered in 1953 the formation of a royal commission under a special law for the restoration of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem. The most prominent actions of the commission during the second restoration are the following:
1. The comprehensive restoration of the Dome of the Rock 1954-1964.
2. Restoration and maintenance of the mihrabs, domes and terraces in the Haram al-Sharif square.
3. Restoration of the women’s chapel and the buildings surrounding the Haram al-Sharif square
3- The third Hashemite restoration of the Dome of the Rock:
This restoration, which began in 1969, included the following:
• Removing traces of the fire that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque was subjected to on 21.8.1969.
• Cladding the Dome of the Rock with gilded copper panels.
• Cladding the arcades of the Dome of the Rock with lead panels.
• Installing fire alarms and extinguishing devices in the buildings of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The cost of these works was eight million dinars.
The Hashemite Patronage of holy sites during the reign of His Majesty King Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein
The Hashemite support, inherited from the era of grandparents, continued to preserve the city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites based on religious, historical and national responsibility. Jerusalem received the attention and care of His Majesty King Abdullah II. Since His Majesty assumed his constitutional powers, His Majesty is keen on preserving its Arab-Islamic identity, and protecting its Islamic and Christian holy sites from the dangers under the occupation, which is actively seeking to obliterate these historical and religious holy sites within the framework of the Judaization policy that Israel is implementing on the ground.
From this point came His Majesty the King's emphasis during the Doha summit on the need to develop an Arab strategy to protect Jerusalem and the holy sites therein from attempts to Judaize it, change its identity and empty its Arab population.
Among the most prominent support of His Majesty King Abdullah II to the holy sites :
- Salah Al Din Al-Ayyubi pulpit ( minbar).
On the night of the twenty-sixth of Ramadan in the 1423 AH, corresponding to the first of December of the year 2002, His Majesty King Abdullah II had the honor of setting up the first ornamented plate in the structure of the minbar. This enabled the pulpit to perform its civilized and religious role in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque after the sinful hand extended to it in 1969 and burned it.
- The fifth minaret of Al-Aqsa Mosque
Based on the royal directives, the Committee for the Reconstruction of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, headed by His Excellency the Minister of Awqaf and Holy Sites, began preparing the necessary plans and studies for the completion of this project, which was decided to be located on the eastern wall of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Renew the furnishings of the Dome of the Rock mosque
His Majesty King Abdullah II ordered the renewal of the carpets of the Dome of the Rock Mosque, where the new carpets for the Dome of the Rock Mosque, with an area of (2000)M2, were chosen with great care in terms of color and specifications, in line with the nature and sanctity of the blessed Mosque.
The Reconstruction Committee, under the generous guidance of His Majesty King Abdullah Ibn Al-Hussein, continues to follow up and complete many projects through its technical Staff in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, including:
- Maintenance of the southern and eastern walls of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Maintenance of the internal and external walls marble of the Dome of the Rock.
- Maintenance of minarets.
- Gilding of the interior decorations of the two buildings of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
- Maintenance of the ceramic tiles of Dome of the Rock.
- Preparing studies, planning and documents for infrastructure projects tender for Al Aqsa Mosque which including: -
- Central Voices project
- Lighting network project
- Mechanical and sanitary works project
There are several institutions and bodies whose duties and responsibilities include taking care of Jerusalem affairs and the holy sites therein, including: -
- Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs
Since 1950 this Ministry caring about Islamic holy sites affairs in Jerusalem until now, also responsible for management and maintenance for blessed Al Aqsa mosque. In Jerusalem it established a separate department called Al Awqaf Department followed under its Islamic archaeological section its duties to maintain and document of endangered Islamic monuments. This section was able to maintain a good number of these monuments under the supervision of the “Center for Documentation, Maintenance and Restoration of the Antiquities of Jerusalem,” which was established by the League of Arab States in Amman in 1982, and then its work was frozen in 1991.
- Supreme Judge Department:
This department supervises the legitimacy courts in Jerusalem, and there is full coordination between the two sides in all matters related to personal status.
- The Committee for the Reconstruction of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock:
This committee was formed pursuant to Law No. (32) of 1954 and is currently chaired by His Excellency the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Holy Sites. The committee has a technical staff operating in Jerusalem at the site of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, including engineers, technicians and administrators. This staff supervises the reconstruction work in the various religious and historical monuments in the Holy site.
- The Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs:
Following Israel's occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, the Royal Decree was issued to form this committee to take care of the Jerusalem's affairs and to highlight its cause in international forums and world public opinion. In 1994, this committee was reconstituted under the chairmanship of His Highness Prince Al-Hassan bin Talal to include Jordanian, Arab and Islamic figures.
- The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for the Reconstruction of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock
A Royal Decree was issued in 2007 to establish this fund as an expression of His Majesty King Abdullah II's interest in Jerusalem and its holy sites. This fund operates according to Law No. (15) of 2007, and His Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad chairs the Board of Trustees of the fund, which includes a number of Jordanian, Arab and Islamic figures concerned with the affairs of Jerusalem. This fund aims, in accordance with Article four of the Fund Law, to provide the necessary funding for the care of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, and the Islamic sites in Al-Quds Al-Sharif, to ensure the continuity of their reconstruction and maintenance, and to provide all the necessary requirements to confirm the importance of these sites for Muslims in general, and the Hashemites in particular.