 From October 1928 onward , Mufti Amin al @-@ Husayni organised a series of measures to demonstrate the Arabs ' exclusive claims to the Temple Mount and its environs . He ordered new construction next to and above the Western Wall . The British granted the Arabs permission to convert a building adjoining the Wall into a mosque and to add a minaret . A muezzin was appointed to perform the Islamic call to prayer and Sufi rites directly next to the Wall . These were seen as a provocation by the Jews who prayed at the Wall . The Jews protested and tensions increased . 
