JERUSALEM—Israel’s prime minister on Sunday welcomed a U.S.-brokered plan to install video surveillance at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, saying it could help refute claims that Israel is trying to expand the Jewish presence there, while Palestinians said they feared the cameras would be used to spy on and arrest people.
The conflicting statements reflected the tough path ahead for the U.S. as it seeks to quell a monthlong burst of violence between Israel and the Palestinians. The surveillance system is the centerpiece of a series of steps announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry over the weekend.
The violence has been fueled by Palestinian allegations that Israel is trying to alter a delicate arrangement at the holy site—a charge that Israel denies. The site is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism and home to the biblical Jewish Temples. Today, it is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third-holiest site in Islam.
Speaking to his Cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has no plans to change the longstanding status quo at the site, where Jews are allowed to visit but not pray.
