Jordan protests Israel’s excavations in Jerusalem

Israeli sources reported on Thursday that the Jordanian Foreign Minister, Salah Bashir, met with the Israeli ambassador in Jordan to protest against the Israeli excavations near the Al Aqsa mosque, in the occupied East Jerusalem. Jordan said that the digging will lead to a new wave of violence in the Middle East, and that Jerusalem is a Red Line for all Arabs and Muslims.

Mohammad Abu Hdeib, head of the Jordanian lower house of parliament's committee on international affairs, stated that Bashir informed the Israeli ambassador that Jordan rejects the illegal Israeli measures, and added that the excavations near the Mughrabi Gate which leads to the Al Aqsa Mosque violates the 1994 peace deal between Jordan and Israel, and also violates international agreements.

Talking to the AFP, Abu Hdeib stated that Israel excavations and its planned ones pose a threat to the foundations of the Al Aqsa Mosque, one of three most holy sites in Islam.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Nassar Habashneh, said that the ministry demanded Israel to stop all unilateral actions that might affect the status of Jerusalem, and the Mughrabi Gate.

 Habashneh added that Jordan was informed that the Israel intends to resume the digging under the mosque and its vicinity to create a pathway between the Western Wall and the mosque compound. The current excavations started the excavations in February 1997.

It is worth mentioning that the Jordanian FM also held talks with ambassadors of the European Union, and the five permanent member countries of the UN Security Council [Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States].

 He demanded the five countries to intervene and stop Israel from talking any unilateral moves that would affect the final status of Jerusalem.