JERUSALEM, August 12, 2015 (WAFA) – The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, condemned on Wednesday the ongoing construction of a Jewish synagogue upon the ruins of an Islamic site in the Old City of Jerusalem.

He said the construction of the synagogue comes as part of a “Judaization” plan which aims to transfer the holy city and areas surrounding al-Aqsa Mosque into a completely Jewish area.

The Jordan-run Islamic Waqf, which has administrative jurisdiction over the compound, has accused Israel of attempting to “Judaize” the holy site and the city of Jerusalem.

The site has been an epicenter of the prolonged Israeli-Arab conflict. It has witnessed recurrent clashes in recent years between Muslim worshipers and Israeli police, most frequently due to provocative visits by Jewish extremists who believe the Mosque should be destroyed and replaced with a Jewish temple.

The site, which is part of East Jerusalem, was occupied by Israel from Jordan in 1967, but both countries agreed to keep the site under Jordanian jurisdiction since then.

M.N/M.H