The Jordanian foreign ministry condemned Israeli authorities for allowing Jewish settlers to visit Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque grounds under police protection.
A statement from the kingdom's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Haitham Abu al-Foul, reported Thursday by the Petra news agency, said that "the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims." "Jordan demands that Israel, the occupying power, respect the inviolability of the Islamic shrine and stop all measures aimed at changing its historical and legal status," the report stresses. It points out that "the issue of non-Muslims visiting Al-Aqsa must be coordinated with the Jerusalem department of Jordan's Ministry of Awqaf, Islam and Holy Sites, given that the kingdom patronizes the Islamic and Christian shrines located in the Old City."
Earlier, Al Jazeera reported clashes between Arabs and Israeli security forces near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem after a group of Jewish settlers arrived on its territory. Police used riot gear to disperse the protesters. According to medical sources, at least 12 Arabs were hit by rubber bullets and dozens were injured by tear gas grenades.
The situation in East Jerusalem escalated on April 15 after a group of Jewish pilgrims visited the Temple Mount. Israeli police dispersed Arab protesters and detained dozens of people. Some 170 Palestinians and eight Israelis were injured then. On 21 April, the of Arab League (LAS) Committee on Jerusalem, meeting in Amman, condemned the Israeli authorities' restrictive measures and demanded free access to the mosque for worshippers.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS