Israeli security officials said they recently wrapped up an operation that successfully prevented the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas from gaining religious control over Jerusalem's Temple Mount.
The officials told The Jerusalem Post that for years Hamas had poured funds into construction and renovations on the Temple Mount, while at the same time running charities in the Israeli capital. The group's aim was to recruit local Arabs to its cause and to install preachers of its ideology at the holy site.
Hamas reportedly made significant headway in this effort since 2000, when the Jordanian Islamic Trust (Waqf) that oversees the mosques atop the Temple Mount began to suffer from financial difficulties.
The Israelis said they are confident that there are today no Hamas or Hamas-affiliated bodies operating in Jerusalem.