CORRECTS – Jordan lawmakers call for expelling Israel’s envoy amid Al-Aqsa tension

CORRECTS ISRAELI AMBASSADOR’S NAME IN 4th PARA

By Laith al-Junaidi and Qais Abu Samra

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Jordanian lawmakers on Monday called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador amid tension over the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.

Eighty-seven MPs in the 130-seat Parliament submitted a memorandum to the Jordanian government demanding the expulsion of the Israeli envoy, the state news agency reported.

The move comes shortly after Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Amman will summon the Israeli charge d'affaires "to deliver the kingdom's firm message of condemnation of the Israeli actions [at Al-Aqsa Mosque]."

Safadi told parliament that Israeli Ambassador Eitan Surkis was summoned, but "he was not in Amman”.

Tension has mounted across the Palestinian territories since Friday when Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard and attacked worshippers, injuring hundreds.

Daily settler incursions into the flashpoint site to celebrate the week-long Jewish Passover holiday has further inflamed the situation.

Developments in the Palestinian territories were a main topic of discussion between Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a phone call on Monday.
The Jordanian Royal Court said in a statement that the two leaders discussed the Israeli escalation in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said the talks between the two leaders took up “the latest Palestinian developments and the daily settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque under Israeli police protection.”

The two sides also agreed to "continue joint consultations and coordination in the international arena, and to make contacts with the concerned parties to stop the Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and worshipers, and to stop the killing and abuse of the Palestinians," according to the same source.

On Sunday, King Abdullah II called on Israel to respect the historical and legal situation in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to stop its "illegal and provocative" measures.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

In March 2013, the Jordanian king signed an agreement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, granting the kingdom the right to "guardianship and defense of Jerusalem and the holy sites" in Palestine.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat