Following Jordanian pressure, Israeli authorities announced they would allow the Islamic Waqf Rehabilitation Committee to continue its extensive restoration project on the Temple Mount.
With Israel ceasing restoration work on the Temple Mount earlier in the week, the Islamic Waqf issued a statement this morning, (Thursday) stating: "The Department of Islamic Dedications and Al-Aqsa Mosque confirms the renewal of reconstruction and maintenance work at the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque with all its chapels, including restoration and maintenance of the Dome of the Rock from the inside, Al-Quibli Mosque, and al-Marwani Mosque."
The Waqf added: "The department appreciates the great efforts of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and its constant pressure [of Israel] to continue restoration at the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque."
Maor Tzemach of the Lach, Yerushalayim (For You, Jerusalem) movement, which reported on Waqf employees continuing excavation work on the Temple Mt., commented on Israel's resignation to Jordanian demands and said, "Unfortunately, Israel repeatedly succumbs to the Islamic Waqf, hurting the small amount of sovereignty it has on the Temple Mount."
In his remarks, Tzemach notes that "in every reformed country in the world, a government-appointed body oversees the preservation of antiquities and historical values." "Israel leaves its historical assets on the Temple Mount to the Islamic Waqf," he lamented.