Roundup: Palestinians distrust Netanyahu's remarks on Aqsa status quo

Palestinians are pushing for serious guarantees towards maintaining the status quo at East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, while diplomatic efforts are ongoing to ease unrest flared by the flashpoint holy site.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said on Sunday that Palestinians do not trust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Speaking to the Palestinian public radio, al-Malki added that Palestinians do not trust Netayahu's remarks Saturday night about not allowing Jews to perform prayers at the holy site.

Such commitments should only come from the UN Security Council, al-Malki stressed.

He added that Netanyahu previously made commitments to allow Palestinians of all ages into Al-Aqsa during last year's Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordanian King Abdullah II, but he never acted by those remarks.

Al-Malki wondered about who will monitor the cameras at Al-Aqsa compound and how would they be used. "Would they be used to arrest Palestinians claiming that they are inciting?"

Netanyahu has vowed in a press statement Saturday night that Jews won't be allowed to perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In the statements released by his office, Netanyahu said that Israel respects the role of Jordan, as a custodian of Al-Aqsa, as reflected in the 1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel.

He added that Israel will allow Muslims to pray at the site and non-Muslims to visit.

These statements come after diplomatic efforts held by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who met Netanyahu on Thursday in Berlin.

Kerry also held separate meetings with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday in Amman.

The Israeli public radio quoted an unidentified official as saying that Israel agreed to a Jordanian request to place 24-hour security cameras at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, adding that this would refute claims that Israel is violating the status quo at the site.

In turn, Jordanian Foreign Minister Naser Judeh welcomed Netanyahu's "commitments" as a step in the right direction. In remarks to the Jordanian News Agency (Petra), Judeh said that maintaining the status quo is a major priority for Jordan.

However, Islamic Hamas movement on Sunday considered the diplomatic effort by the United States to restore calm at Al-Aqsa as an attempt "to rescue Israel from the crisis of facing the Palestinian Initifada."

Hamas official Ziyad al-Zaza criticized Kerry's announcement that Netanyahu would allow Muslims to pray at the site and non-Muslims to visit.

He described the remarks as "a wicked attempt by Netanyahu with collaboration with Kerry to solidify the Israeli control over Al-Aqsa," he told Xinhua.

"The announcement equalizes between Muslims' right to worship and non-Muslims right to visit," he added, calling on the Palestinians not to abide by any new U.S.-brokered commitments regarding the situation at Al-Aqsa and asked Jordanians to reject them.

Tension at Al-Aqsa has been the spark of a flaring wave of violence in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and Israel. Palestinians say that Israel wants to change the situation and expand its control over the holy site.

Since the beginning of October, 57 Palestinians were killed and more than 2,000 injured in the wave of violent confrontations, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Endit