Israeli President calls for calm amid Jordan diplomatic uproar
[5/8/2013 8:42:06 PM]
AMMONNEWS - Israeli President Shimon Peres reportedly sent a calming message to Jordan on Wednesday, after the Jordanian parliament voted in favor of expelling the Israeli ambassador from Amman and recalling the Jordanian ambassador from Israel.
"Jerusalem is dear to us, the peace with Jordan is dear to us," the president said at a ceremony commemorating Jerusalem Day at Ammunition Hill, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The Jordanian Lower House of Parliament voted unanimously on Wednesday to ask the government to expel the Israeli Ambassador to Jordan, Daniel Nevo, and recall Jordan's Ambassador in Tel Aviv Walid Obeidat.
The non-binding measure comes in response to repeated and escalating Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem, allowing Jewish settlers to storm into Al Aqsa Mosque while occupation forces prevented Muslim worshippers under the age of 50 from entering the Mosque.
Later on Wednesday, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's Ambassador and expressed Jordan's denunciation and rejection of Israeli violations in the occupied territories.
In response to Jordan's measures, Peres reportedly assured Jordan that Israel will honor its agreements with Jordan, and will ensure all worshipers from all religions could pray in their respective holy sites.
"I want to say this loud and clear - we will respect all religions' holy places and will do everything to maintain [worshipers'] security," he said, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Acting Foreign Minister and Minister of Interior Hussein majali, who summoned the Israeli envoy, pointed out that the Israeli settlers' continued and systemized aggression against holy places confirmed their intention to raise tensions, increase violence in the region, and abort peacemaking efforts that aim to resolve the Palestinian–Israeli conflict and establish the independent Palestinian state, with east Jerusalem as its capital, Jordan News Agency Petra said.
"These serious and systematic aggressions are a clear violation of international conventions and are a gross violation of international law and international humanitarian law," the minister said.
The government, he added, considers the violations against Al Aqsa Mosque to be serious and of critical importance, and it believes that the action of large numbers of settlers storming through the holy place is an indicator of the settlers’ malicious, premeditated intentions.
The Jordanian government expects the Israeli government, as the occupying force, to shoulder the responsibility for preventing such provocative acts and has demanded preventive action to guard against similar violations in the future, the Minister told the Israeli envoy.
"Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque are a red line for Jordan," Majali affirmed.
The minister asked the envoy to deliver the message to the Israeli government through diplomatic channels, and he, in turn, vowed to personally carry the message.
Earlier in the day, Jordan’s diplomatic efforts, through the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv, resulted in the release of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Mohammad Hussein.
Israeli President calls for calm amid Jordan diplomatic uproar | Main News | Ammon News
