Jordan recalls envoy to Israel over mosque clashes

AMMAN, Jordan – Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel on Wednesday, November 5, after police clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians inside the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, official media said.

Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur asked the foreign minister to “recall the Jordanian ambassador from Tel Aviv in protest at Israel’s escalation on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound,” the Petra news agency reported.

The compound, which is holy to both Jews and Muslims, is one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East.

It has been the scene of frequent confrontations in recent months, largely triggered by Palestinian fears that Israel was poised to allow Jewish prayer at the site.

Jordan, which administered the West Bank including east Jerusalem before Israel seized it in 1967, has responsibility for managing the mosque compound and other holy sites in the city’s Israeli-annexed eastern sector.

Jordan’s status as custodian is enshrined in its 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

King Abdullah II vowed on Sunday to oppose any Israeli attempt to change the status of Muslim or Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. – Rappler.com