AA / Zain Khalili
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke on Monday about his country’s response after Jordan summoned his charge d’affaires to express his “strong protest” against the events in Al-Aqsa .
“Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held a meeting today (Monday) to discuss Israel’s response to Jordan’s allegations,” Israel’s official Cannes channel said, without giving further details.
The channel said Israeli politicians expressed disappointment with Jordan’s stance.
And to quote one of them (without naming him) as saying: “Israel has made great efforts to stem the escalation of incidents at Temple Mount – and several Israeli officials, including (Defence Minister Benny) Gantz, Lapid and others. The authorities have spoken with the king (Abdallah II) and the Jordanian authorities.”
For its part, the Israeli daily “Ydiot Aharonot” reported that, although relations between Jordan and Israel have improved significantly since Naftali Bennett’s government came to power last June, the two countries are now prone to real crisis. Because of what is happening in the city of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
He further said that Israel believes that Jordan’s move will increase tensions in Jerusalem.
Jordan’s foreign ministry on Monday summoned the Israeli embassy in charge d’affaires to inform the Jordanian authorities of the protest and demand an “immediate cessation” of the violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its worshipers.
Jordan’s King Abdullah on Sunday called on Israel to respect the historical and legal status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and end its “illegal and inflammatory” measures.
Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa mosque complex have been at high tension for several days, due to daily incursions and calls by Israeli settlers and Jewish extremists to continue attacking the mosque during the Jewish Passover holiday.
In March 2013, King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed an agreement granting them the right to “guardianship and protect Jerusalem and the Holy Places” in Palestine.
*Translated from Arabic by Murad Belhaji
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