Firefighters from Jordan arrived in Israel to conduct mass casualty drills in the Case of fire in the Al-Aksa mosque on the Temple Mount. The drill also featured search and rescue operations.
Although the stated purpose of the exercise was to react in case a fire broke out at the mosque, sources close to the matter believe that it was yet another Waqf stunt to flex their muscles and try to show Israel that they are in charge of the Temple Mount.
אייטם בטלויזיה הירדנית על הערכות לחרום במסגד אלאקצא: כיבוי אש וכוחות הצלה ירדנים מתאמנים במקום pic.twitter.com/KNMXwhRM48
— Shimrit Meir שמרית מאיר (@shimritmeir) November 27, 2019
Avraham Binyamin of the right-wing NGO Regavim responded to the event saying: “There is a lot of significance involved with Jordan going to the site and training there as a security force. It symbolizes who is the owner of the site. It’s not the place to just show up and practice fire drills.”
The police spokesperson told Breaking Israel News that they were unaware of the drill.
“If it was authorized by the police, that just shows that Israel is acquiescing its authority over the Temple Mount. If they were unaware, then that’s even worse” Binyamin added.
The fire alarm systems were installed, designed and supervised by the Jordanian Civil Defense Ministry according to the report on Jordan TV. The report added that another purpose of the drill was to “preserve the religious and historical heritage” of the site.
Apparently this isn’t the first time Jordan has pulled this stunt. According to Temple Mount tour guide Michael Miller: “It’s nothing new. They’ve done it before in the past.”
The Israeli police spokesperson has not returned with a response regarding their knowledge of the drill. The event reportedly took place on the same day that the Hashemite Kingdom conducted a mass military drill in the event of a war with Israel.