Jordanians urge gov't to expel Israeli envoy, suspend all bilateral agreements

protest
Protestors demonstrate near Kalooti Mosque in Amman on April 15, 2022. Hundreds of protestors across the Kingdom gathered after taraweeh prayers on Friday to condemn Israeli attacks and incursions in Jerusalem, Jenin, and other areas of the West Bank. (Photo: Ameer Khalifeh/Jordan News)
AMMAN — The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday and Sunday by Israeli forces and Jewish extremists, and the arrest of worshipers enraged Jordanians from all walks of life. اضافة اعلان

Many took to the social media to express anger with and denounce the Israeli provocations, and to express solidarity with the Palestinians. They also stressed the importance of the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and the important role that Jordan could play in stopping the Israeli aggression.

Members of Parliament, senators, political activists and trade union presidents interviewed by Jordan News said that Jordan must take strict measures against Israeli actions and emphasized the importance of Jordan sending a clear message, including by expelling the Israeli ambassador from the Kingdom and suspending all agreements reached with Israel.

Seventy-six MPs asked the government on Saturday to respond to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by taking decisions and measures that help hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable.

The deputies issued a memorandum calling on the government to sever diplomatic relations with Israel, close the Israeli embassy in Amman, expel its ambassador, and freeze all bilateral agreements “until such practices stop and are not repeated”, in addition “to intervening at the highest levels to ensure the release of prisoners and abductees from Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.”

MP Khalil Attieh told Jordan News: “The Palestinian cause is my personal, religious, humanitarian and national issue; it is the most important issue for me.” As such, in response to the breaching of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the attacks on worshipers, “I submitted a memorandum to the government demanding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Amman and the closure of the embassy.”

“I will not rest until I see this ambassador, who represents the entity that usurps our land, kills and displaces our people and desecrates our sanctities leave Jordan,” he said.

MP Ali Al-Khalayleh, one of the 76 MPs who signed the memorandum, told Jordan News: “We felt that denouncing what is happening in Palestine was not enough, and therefore we signed this memorandum, calling on the government to take strict measures to stop this brutal aggression.”

Senator Akef Al-Zoubi told Jordan News that Jordan has an important and significant role in stopping the aggression against Jerusalem and protecting Muslim sites, especially when witnessing “the weak position of many Arab countries toward the Palestinian case and the difficult political situation in the region”.

He added that “the recent aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque is the talk of the Jordanian street”, confirming that “Jordan and Jordanians were and will remain steadfast in rejecting the brutal occupation”.

“Israel does not want peace, and this has become clear in all the stands it takes, condoned by the international silence, and in its determination and insistence to implement its plan to seize Palestinian lands,” he said.

Senator Talal Al-Shorofat told Jordan News that “the attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque and worshipers is a flagrant violation of international laws that prohibit attacks on worshipers. Therefore, we condemn these blatant attacks on the people of Jerusalem and we stand, with all our capabilities, with the Palestinian people in defending these holy sites”.

“We also stand by His Majesty King Abdullah in standing up against the violations that occur at Al-Aqsa, especially since His Majesty is the guardian of the holy sites in Palestine and always affirms his keenness to preserve Palestinian lands, its holy sites and the brotherly Palestinian people,” he added.

“The Senate is fully consistent with the position of the Jordanian government in rejecting these practices, and we ask the international community to intervene to curb these practices, which have crossed the red lines through the attack on the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and of worshipers,” he said.

Secretary-General of the Islamic Action Front Murad Al-Adayleh told Jordan News that “we condemn what is happening in Palestine, especially the attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is sacred for Muslims”.

He added: “Our position will remain supportive of our brothers in Palestine, and we stress the importance of Jordan’s role and of the Hashemite guardianship in protecting Islamic holy sites. We ask the government to sever relations with the Zionists and take immediate actions to stop the aggression.”

Nour-Aldeen Nadeem, spokesman of the Teachers Syndicate, told Jordan News that “the syndicate issued a statement of condemnation of what is happening in Jerusalem and in beloved Palestine, especially since it is our duty to stop the violations that are happening in Palestine.”

“We bear a moral responsibility to create a generation that has sufficient knowledge and awareness of what is happening in Palestine, especially that the Palestinian case is a personal issue for all Jordanians and because of the Hashemite custodianship of the holy sites in Palestine,” Nadeem added.


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