You Are 100% Right!
Search "Temple Mount in Disrepair 19th Centry" for dozens of images like this:
“In 1967, the Israelis made a big mistake when they allowed the mosques to stand after they won control of Jerusalem”
Yes, considering the place was built (complete with the newly conceived Mohammad myth) as a 7th Century tourist attraction to keep the Royal Court (then in residence in Jerusalem) happy.
Being self-important muslims, as the thrill of living in the hinterlands and the cash flow from the attraction began to wear thin, they abandoned the place and returned to the old court city of Amman (now in Jordan).
Jerusalem returned to a dusty village and goat herders until the mid 20th Century. That’s how important the Al-Aqsa Mosque is to musselmen ...
PIF - thanks for the history of the mosque. I did not know it was only recently re-vamped.