Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Jordanian lawmakers: Expel the Israeli ambassador

Jordanian lawmakers on Monday called to expel the Israeli ambassador from the kingdom in response to what they termed "ongoing Israel aggression" at holy sites in Jerusalem, AFPreported.
 
The parliamentary session followed an Israeli court ruling on Sunday on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
 
The court ordered the closure of the Bab al-Rahma compound on the Temple Mount, also known as the Golden Gate of the Gate of Mercy, where the Waqf recently erected a mosque illegally.
 
The ruling followed recent riots and clashes occurred on the Temple Mount as Muslims forcibly tried enter the closed Golden Gate compound, which has been closed off for the past 16 years, since it was discovered that those running the site were connected to the Hamas terror organization.
 
"The parliament recommended the government recall the Jordanian ambassador from Israel and expel the Israeli ambassador from Amman to confront the ongoing Israeli aggression at holy sites in occupied Jerusalem," reported the official Petra news agency.
 
Lawmakers also called on the government to address the UN Security Council about "stopping Israeli violations and protecting the Palestinian people", according to AFP.
The Temple Mount was left in the hands of the Jordanian Waqf following Jerusalem’s reunification in the Six Day War in 1967. The Waqf has taken advantage of this and removed every sign of ancient Jewish presence at the most Jewish holy site.
 
Jordan is one of only two Arab countries, along with Egypt, to have a peace deal with Israel. However, the country’s parliament, which is made up mostly of Islamists, remains anti-Israeland its members have more than once called to annul the peace treaty.
In 2017, the Jordanian parliament approved a proposal to establish a committee to reevaluate all formal ties with Israel, including the peace agreement.
 
That proposal does not necessarily mean that the peace accords with Israel will be annulled, as such a decision requires the approval of the government, the royal palace and the council advising the king.