CORRECTS - Jordan to summon Israeli charge d'affaires over Al-Aqsa

CORRECTS AMBASSADOR’S NAME IN 2nd PARA

By Laith al-Junaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Jordan said Monday it will summon the Israeli charge d'affaires to protest Israeli practices at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.

Israeli Ambassador Eitan Surkis was summoned, but "he was not in Amman,” Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said during a parliamentary session.

He added that the Israeli charge d'affaires will be summoned “to deliver the kingdom's firm message of condemnation of the Israeli actions [at Al-Aqsa Mosque]".

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.

Tension has mounted across the Palestinian territories since Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard on Friday amid clashes with worshippers, injuring hundreds.

On Monday, more than 500 Israeli settlers forced their way into the flashpoint site to celebrate the week-long Jewish Passover holiday.

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