Jerusalem Waqf

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(Redirected from
Jerusalem Islamic Waqf
)
The Al-Aqsa area in East Jerusalem, with the golden Dome of the Rock

The Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, also known as the Jerusalem Waqf, the Jordanian Waqf[1] or simply the Waqf, is the Jordanian-appointed organization responsible for controlling and managing the current Islamic edifices on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, which includes the Dome of the Rock.[2][3][4] The Jerusalem Waqf is guided by a council composed of 18 members and headed by a director, all appointed by Jordan.[5] The current director of the Waqf, since 2005, is Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib.[5]

Name and history

In

Ottoman Turkish law, and later under the British Mandate of Palestine, a waqf was defined as usufruct state land (or property) from which the state revenues were assured to religious foundations.[7] The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem has been administered as a waqf since the Muslim reconquest of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187. By metonymy
, the foundation that administers the waqf of Jerusalem has itself come to be known as "the Waqf".

The current version of the Jerusalem Waqf administration was instituted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan after its conquest and occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, during the 1948 war.[8] The Jerusalem Waqf remained under Jordanian control after Israel occupied the Old City of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War of June 1967, though control over access to the site passed to Israel.[9]

Current

The Jerusalem Waqf is an organ of the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf Islamic Affairs and Holy Places,[10] which is charged with "implementing the Hashemite custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites and endowments and consolidating the historical and legal status quo."[11]

The staff members of the Jerusalem Waqf are Jordanian-government employees. It is headed by a director, also picked by the Jordanian government. The current director of the Jerusalem Waqf is Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, appointed in 2005.[4][12]

An agreement signed in 2013 between the State of Palestine (represented by Mahmoud Abbas) and Jordan's King Abdullah II recognized Jordan's role in managing the Jerusalem holy sites. This agreement replaced a decades-old verbal agreement.[13]

The Jerusalem Waqf is responsible for administrative matters in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Religious authority on the site, on the other hand, is the responsibility of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, appointed by the government of the State of Palestine.

In 2017, Jordan enlarged the Waqf’s council from 11 members to 18. For the first time, Palestinian officials and religious leaders were installed in the body, which had historically been made up of individuals close to the Jordanian monarchy.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jordan protests to Israel after envoy blocked from holy site". Arab News. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  2. PASSIA
    , 2021
  3. ISBN 978-1-5011-6833-8. USA Today: "A view of the Al-Aqsa compound (Temple Mount) in Jerusalem's Old City" [1] Al Jazeera: "Israeli Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely referred to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as 'the centre of Israeli sovereignty, the capital of Israel'... In response, Netanyahu's office later that night put out a statement saying that 'non-Muslims visit the Temple Mount [Al-Aqsa compound]' but are not permitted to pray there.'" [2]
  4. ^ a b "Arab states neglect Al-Aqsa says head of Jerusalem Waqf". Al-Monitor. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b Jerusalem Institute. "The eroding status quo" (PDF).
  6. ^ "What is Waqf". Awqaf SA. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  7. ^ A Survey of Palestine (Prepared in December 1945 and January 1946 for the information of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry), chapter 8, section 1, British Mandate Government of Palestine: Jerusalem 1946, pp. 226–228
  8. ISBN 978-0-8041-5049-1
    . Retrieved 2016-03-20.
  9. S2CID 201363247
  10. ^ Ministry name according to its official homepage. Accessed 10 May 2022.
  11. ^ Jordan: We don't accept instructions from Israel on Temple Mount guards, Khaled Abu Toameh for The Jerusalem Post, 10 May 2022 (accessed the same day).
  12. ISBN 0714643424
    . Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Jerusalem deal boosts Jordan in Holy City: analysts". The Daily Star. Lebanon. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2021. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
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