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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The executive council of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on Tuesday, adopted the "occupied Palestine" draft resolution (Jerusalem paragraph) which was drafted by Jordan following a diplomatic confrontation with a number of member countries of the council which tried to introduce amendments including softened tone against Israeli violations in the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram al-Sharif.

State Minister for Media Affairs and Government Spokesman, Muhammad al-Momani, said the endorsement of the draft was a culmination of concerted diplomatic Jordanian efforts spearheaded by His Majesty King Abdullah II to defend Jerusalem and its holy shrines.

In a statement issued today, Al-Momani indicated that the minister of foreign and expatriates affairs made direct contacts with a number of world counterparts to rally support for the resolution drafted by the Kingdom.

For the first time, the minister said, the resolution calls on Israel, the Occupying Power, to allow for the restoration of the historic Status Quo, that prevailed until September 2000, under which the Jordanian Awqaf (Religious Foundation) Department exercised exclusive authority on Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif, and its mandate extended to all affairs relating to the unimpeded administration of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif, including maintenance, restoration, and regulating access.

Furthermore, the decision provides reaffirmation of achievements secured by Jordan over the past two years, top of which is that the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram al-Sharif are two synonyms for one meaning, and that Al-Maghariba Gate hill is an integral and inseparable part of the mosque is part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram al-Sharif, the minister pointed.

The resolution, which drafted in coordination with the Palestinians and the Arab group in the council, demands Israel as the occupying power not to impede the Hashemite reconstruction projects at the holy shrine and demands it to reopen the Bab Al Rahma gate of the mosque, which has been closed by the Israeli authorities since 2003.

According to Al-Momani, the draft demands Israel to stop its violations against Awqaf-owned property east of Al-Haram al-Sharif in Al-Yusufiya Cemetery and Al-Sawwanah area, in addition to halting a dramatic change of the Umayyad palaces south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The minister also said the resolution deplores an Israeli decision to approve a plan to build a two-line cable car system in East Jerusalem and the so called "Liba House" project in the Old City of Jerusalem as well as the construction of the so-called "Kedem Center", a visitor center near the southern wall of the Mosque, the construction of the Strauss Building and the project of the elevator in Al-Buraq Plaza "Western Wall Plaza" and urges Israel, the Occupying Power, to renounce the above-mentioned projects.

Citing some of these schemes, the minister said they include a cable car project at the Old City's Jabal az-Zaytun and the construction of a visitor center near the southern wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram al-Sharif and other building projects. The resolution demands Israel to stop such projects.