Jordan is fanning the flames of violence in Jerusalem while deliberately ignoring the city’s Jewish significance and history.
King Abdullah II of Jordan met on Sunday in Jordan with Arab MKs (Members of Knesset – Israel’s parliament) to discuss what he described as “efforts to halt Israeli aggression and violations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Al-Haram al-Sharif compound in occupied East Jerusalem.”
Abdullah reiterated Jordan’s support for the Palestinian people “and their just cause,” and he pledged that the Kingdom will continue defending Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites.
He made no mention of the Jewish rights and strong connection to the Temple Mount, Judaism’s most sacred site.
Abdullah briefed the delegation on Jordan’s “intensive efforts and contacts” made with various regional and international parties to “stop the Israeli attacks and violations” on the Temple Mount.
He did not make reference to the ongoing Palestinian violence.
He further boasted about Jordan’s diplomatic success at the UN Security Council (UNSC), urging them to ignore the Jewish history in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount. Under intense Jordanian lobbying, the UNSC released a statement last Thursday condemning the violence in Jerusalem and recognizing the Temple Mount by its Muslim name, Al-Haram al-Sharif.
“The continuation of Israel’s provocative behavior towards Jerusalem and its holy sites and its attempts to Judaize the holy places will have grave repercussions on the region and its security and stability, and will inflame religious conflict with dire consequences,” the King warned in a statement to the Petra Jordanian news agency after the meeting.
The Hashemite Kingdom has official custodianship over the Temple Mount and is responsible for its administration.
Abdullah also asserted that Jews have no business being there and that the Al-Aqsa Mosque “is indivisible and not subject to be shared.”
He denounced what he termed as “Israel’s false claims through its propaganda to the world to justify its attacks and measures in holy Jerusalem.”
Israel reiterated its commitment to the status quo on the Temple Mount and dismissed Palestinian allegations of Israeli plots to conquer the holy site.
The Israeli Arab lawmakers reportedly thanked the king for his role, commending his “tireless efforts to safeguard the city’s Arab and Islamic identity” and noting his support for the Jordanian Waqf (Muslim religious endowment) authority, which is regularly involved in the unrest on the Temple Mount.
“Today’s meeting is of major importance given the special Jordanian role and the Hashemite custody of Al Aqsa Mosque and the holy shrines when Israel behaves in this provocative manner”, MK Ahmed Tibi stated after the meeting.
The MKs are slated to continue on to Turkey, “from which incitement issues forth on a daily, even hourly, basis,” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Sunday.
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