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House panel calls for expelling Israeli ambassador, revisiting peace treaty

Jordan’s voice is heard ­— Safadi

By JT - Apr 24,2019 - Last updated at Apr 24,2019

AMMAN — The Lower House’s Palestine Committee on Tuesday called on the government to sack the Israeli ambassador to the Kingdom, withdraw the Jordanian ambassador in Tel Aviv and reconsider the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty and the gas deal between Jordan and Israel.

The committee's demands were made during a meeting with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi over a number of issues related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Safadi reaffirmed during the talks the centrality of the Palestinian cause to Jordan, highlighting the Jordanian consensus that the only solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Jordan's foreign policy on Palestine has never changed and has always rested on two pillars: ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state, Safadi added.

“This is a constant, and our red lines are well known. We base this approach on an Arab and Islamic stance that has been reaffirmed once and again over the past few weeks,” Safadi told MPs, listing a number of high-profile pan-Arab events at which the Jordanian stance has been reiterated. 

“Jordan’s voice is heard,” Safadi stressed, adding that His Majesty King Abdullah’s voice is “resonant, respected and just, and is heard by the entire world”. 

The Kingdom is in constant communication with all active parties to achieve justice for the Palestinians and resolve the conflict in accordance with the foundations that unite the Arab and Muslim worlds, the foreign minister said. 

He noted that Jordan “struggles daily to protect holy sites and to preserve their legal and current status”, referring to Baba Al Rahma (Gate of Mercy) and Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif in its entirety. 

He added that Bab Al Rahma is an indispensable part of the 144 dunums comprising Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, stressing that the Kingdom rejects all transgressions and divisions of these holy sites, which the King has marked as red lines that Jordan spares no effort in protecting.  

There are Israeli and US decisions that Jordan has rejected firmly and outright, which include the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, pointed Safadi.

“How many times does the King need to stand and say that the notion of an alternative homeland is unacceptable and non-negotiable? His Majesty has said this dozens of times and this is a firm and unchangeable stance. We do not need to affirm what is certain every time we speak,” Safadi stated. 

Speaking on the “deal of the century”, Safadi reiterated: “We do not know what the US will present, they say that they are working on a plan that will be revealed when they see fit, but we know, and the whole world knows, our response. We want comprehensive and permanent peace, and the path towards it is clear-it is one that we and other Arabs and Muslims have reaffirmed. It is supported by a firm stance entrenched in the several decisions taken by the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the European Union and other institutions within the international community.”

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