AMMAN — Jordanian Ambassador to Israel, Ghassan Majali was
barred by Israeliforces from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Tuesday. Israeli forces who
stopped him stated that he required authorization to enter the premises and
asked him to leave.
اضافة اعلان
In
response, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates summoned the
Israeli ambassador to Jordan and handed him a strongly worded letter of protest
to be delivered immediately to his government.
In a
statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman
Sinan Majali said Jordan condemns any
actions that impede on Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram Al-Sharif.
Majali
emphasized that the Jordan-run Jerusalem Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department has
the “
exclusive authority” to supervise the holy site’s affairs and manage
entries to the site.
Majali
added that as an occupying power, "Israel, must adhere to its obligations
under international law and the international humanitarian law towards the
occupied city of Jerusalem and its sanctities, especially the holy Al-Aqsa
Mosque."
Israel must
“put a stop to attempts to change the historic status quo” in occupied
Jerusalem.
Since 1942,
the Hashemite family has been Jerusalem's Custodian of Muslim and Christian
holy sites.
Jordan and Israel’s relationship has faced tensions since Benjamin Netanyahu took office,
bringing with him the most ultra-right and ultra-religious Israeli government
to date.
His Majesty
King Abdullah in December told CNN’s Becky Anderson that there is “concern” in
Jordan about Israel trying to change the status quo of the Hashemite
custodianship of the Muslim and Christian holy sites in occupied East
Jerusalem.
During the
interview, His Majesty warned that Jordan has “red lines”.
‘Unforgivable’MP Khalil
Attia had issued a statement after the incident calling on the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs to take swift action in response to the “provocative Israeli
aggression”, which he termed an “unforgivable and unbearable insult”, Al-Saa
reported.
He urged
the Foreign Ministry to respond by “immediately” expelling Israel’s ambassador to the Kingdom and recalling Jordan’s ambassador from Tel Aviv.
The move to
drive out Jordan’s ambassador from the holy site, he said, constitutes “a
dangerous development by an extremist government.”
“It is a
direct attack on the Hashemite custodianship of Al-Aqsa Mosque and an attack on
the Jordanian government and the Jordanian people,” Attia said.
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