Jordan, Palestine call ongoing escalation in Al-Aqsa 'dangerous'

By Laith Al-Junaidi

AMMAN (AA) – Jordan and Palestine on Friday called the ongoing escalation in Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem “dangerous” and urged Israel to stop all its “illegal and provocative” measures.

The warning came during a phone call between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and the Secretary-General of the Central Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein al-Sheikh, hours after the Israeli police stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, wounding dozens of Palestinians in the mosque and arresting others.

According to a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, the two officials agreed that the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli army and police, and the resulting injuries and arrests are a “dangerous and condemnable escalation that threatens to explode the situation.”

They called on Israel to stop all its "illegal and provocative" measures in the Al-Aqsa Mosque that undermine “all efforts that were made to maintain the comprehensive calm," urging the Jewish state to respect the rights of worshipers to practice their religious rites freely and without restrictions.

In another statement, Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Haitham Abu Alfoul condemned the Israeli police's storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the attack on worshipers.

“The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the attack on worshipers is a flagrant violation, and a condemnable and unacceptable behavior,” Alfoul said, calling on Israel “to adhere to its obligations as an occupying power in accordance with international humanitarian law.”

Tensions have been running high across the Palestinian territories since the beginning of April amid repeated Israeli raids to arrest “wanted” Palestinians.

Clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the Al-Aqsa Mosque after dawn prayers early Friday after the former stormed the mosque’s courtyards that saw 153 Palestinians injured, while the Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority said the Israeli police arrested 400 Palestinians from the mosque's courtyards.

Palestinian and Israeli officials exchanged accusations of being responsible for the clashes.

* Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara