The monarch told a delegation of east Jerusalem figures during a meeting in Amman that it would take six weeks to install the surveillance cameras in the entire compound of the Noble Sanctuary.
Voicing opposition to any change of the status quo at the holy site, King Abdullah said that the issue of the cameras was a Jordanian idea. He stressed that the cameras would be installed in cooperation with the Palestinians.
Referring to Palestinian criticism of the deal to install the cameras, which was recently reached under the auspices of US Secretary of State John Kerry, King Abdullah said: “Each time Jordan takes an official position, there are those who are skeptical. The project of installing the cameras is a Jordanian project that will be carried out through the (Jordanian-controlled) Wakf Department in cooperation with our Palestinian brothers. The cameras will cover the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the compound of the Noble Sanctuary.”
Addressing Palestinian fears that Israel could use the cameras to arrest Palestinians for incitement, King Abdullah told the delegation members: “I want to be clear, there will be no cameras inside the mosque. But according to experts, it would take six weeks to operate the cameras in a way that would cover the entire compound.”