As a small concession to the other side, the Palestinians have erected a sort of prefabricated metal hut just inside the compound, where two white monks are allowed to stay subject to strict limits on the size of the wooden awning they may build to fend off the heat.
In 2002, monks from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church of Egypt - two groups which for years have been vying for control of the church's roof - fought over the position of a chair on the roof.