Jerusalem's Islamic Endowment forms committee to assess Israeli damages on al-Aqsa mosque

Reports of the formation of the committee were announced by Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Adnan Husseini, who told Ramallah based Sawt Falesteen radio station on Monday that the committees will compile a report on the damages caused inside al-Aqsa during its closure.

Husseini said the report will comprise of staff from the Islamic Museum, including the Manuscripts Department, the Reconstruction Committee, the library archives and the Sharia Court.

Husseini reportedly added that the final stage of the project will be to charge Israeli authorities in international courts if any changes were made.

This will be judged by whether there has been any physical damage to the mosque, or if historical documents or artefacts were found to be stolen from the holy site.

Meanwhile the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation OIC has called on the Security Council to provide protection for al-Aqsa mosque.

It also called for providing financial support to Palestinians in Jerusalem to help them protect the mosque.

Civil disobedience

For 12 days and nights, Palestinians in Jerusalem have initiated a mass campaign of civil disobedience in defiance of Israeli security measures, which are widely viewed as an attempt to assert control over the holy site.

In addition to boycotting entry to al-Aqsa, thousands have led sit-in protests and held daily prayers in the Old City, filling the streets with worshipers.

With Palestinians in Jerusalem politically leaderless, the mass non-violent movement has been led by religious leaders and community organisers.

The removal of Israeli security measures at the site will be viewed as a victory for this civil society movement, although it is unclear whether Muslim authorities would now grant approval for worshippers to re-enter the site.

There had been concerns that Friday's main Muslim prayers, which draw thousands to al-Aqsa, would lead to a serious escalation in the crisis.

Crisis with Jordan, PA

In addition to deadly clashes, tensions at al-Aqsa sparked a diplomatic crisis with Jordan, the official custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.

On Sunday, an Israeli security guard killed two Jordanians in Israel's Amman embassy, with thousands gathering for the funeral of one of the victims, 17-year-old Mohammed Jawawdeh.

The Palestinian Authority also suspended security coordination with Israel, a cornerstone of Israel-PA relations, saying the suspension would continue until the site was returned to the way it was before the crisis began.

The al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is in East Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.