A few weeks ago, Jordan renewed its request for Israel to erect a fifth minaret on the Temple Mount, on the eastern wall of the compound - this is according to a letter on the relations between Jordan and Israel, which will be published on Friday in the "Israel this week" supplement.
Faced with the worsening economic situation in Jordan, the demonstrations and the spillover of the protest against the king to the Bedouin tribes as well, Jordan is almost desperately looking for a resounding achievement "outside".
As the one responsible for the holy places for Islam in Jerusalem, Jordan enjoys the status of guardian on Mt.
In the kingdom, its influence on what is done in it is seen as a factor that deepens the legitimacy of the government and contributes to its stability.
Netanyahu and Abdullah at a meeting in the past, photo: Kobi Gideon/Leam (archive)
There are currently four towers on the mountain that were built during the Mamluk period: the chain tower, built by the Mamluk emir Tankhuz;
Madrasah Fakhria tower, built in 1345 as a square tower with three floors;
Al-Ruanma tower in the northwestern corner of the Temple Mount - a four-story tower built at the end of this period;
And the Shaar Shavatim tower - a round tower, the only one on the northern wall.
Jordan wants to build a fifth tower to officially establish and perpetuate its position on the mountain.
The last time it managed to buy itself a similar symbolic influence was in the 1980s, when King Abdullah's father, King Hussein, sold the ruler of Oman, Sultan Qaboos, a mansion he owned near London.
Hussein transferred the amount, 8 million dollars, to the Waqf in Jerusalem to replace the gold in the Dome of the Rock.
The day the dome's renovations were completed became a national holiday in Jordan, and the citizens celebrated in the streets.
recreate the celebrations
Jordan would like to recreate those celebrations with the fifth minaret, especially after Turkey - one of its competitors for the Muslim hegemony on the mountain - financed the replacement of the golden crescent at the top of the Dome of the Rock a few years ago.
But the sixth Netanyahu government is between a rock and a hard place in this matter.
On the one hand, its existence depends on Ben Gabir and his party, who seek to deepen the Jewish grip and visibility on the mountain and expand the silent Jewish prayers there.
On the other hand, the relations with Jordan are pending, in which shared security, economic and intelligence interests are also intertwined, which were discussed yesterday between Netanyahu and Abdullah.
The Jordanian request from Israel to build the fifth minaret on the Temple Mount is seen by the Jordanians as part of the overall set of relations with Israel, in which this issue is also intertwined.
The full article will be published in "Israel this week" on Friday.
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