House speaker urges gov’t to take action against Israeli envoy

AMMAN — The government on Monday said that it would verify “provocative” remarks attributed to Israeli Ambassador in Amman Daniel Nevo, threatening “not to remain silent” if they were verified. 

Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani, who is acting Foreign Minister and government spokesperson, said the government was following up on the reports, which quoted Nevo as harshly crticising the Lower House for a perceived anti-Israel stand.

Momani’s statement, which he said was ordered by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, came hours after Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh called on the executive authority to take action against what he described as "nonsensical" statements by the ambassador. 

In a statement run by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Tarawneh said the government is the party that should respond to the diplomat's "abusive" comments against Parliament, which is “a national constitutional institution”. 

Nevo reportedly slammed lawmakers in an interview with Israel Army Radio after the MPs recited the Koran as a gesture of tribute to the two Palestinian youths who recently attacked a Jerusalem synagogue and were killed in the process.

He was also quoted as saying that Jordanians believe that MPs are "only concerned with trivial things and concerned about their personal interests", adding that the message the deputies wanted to send by their act was not only directed to Israel, but to the Royal Court to show they have a different stance than the state towards Israel. 

Tarawneh told Petra that “the government should make an apt response to the diplomat's remarks”, which he said are deemed "flagrant" interference in Jordan’s affairs. 

Momani expected the ministry to make a decision Tuesday and deal with the envoy accordingly after his return to Jordan from abroad, according to a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.  

If true, Nevo’s statements constitute a “blatant violation of diplomatic norms”, stressing that diplomatic missions must respect the institutions of the country where they serve, stressing that any insult to the legislative branch is an insult to the government, “which we will not tolerate”. 

Tarawneh accused Israel of creating a problem to influence the course of the crisis caused by its frequent attacks against Palestinians and the holy sites in Jerusalem and to distract attention from its “procrastination” regarding the peace process.

He called on the government to bear its political, legal and diplomatic responsibilities and take measures to respond to Israeli “extremism”.

Tarawneh noted that the government’s “reluctance” in taking the right response after the Israeli army’s killing of a Jordanian judge earlier in the year, the aggression on Gaza and attacks on the holy sites is the reason behind the “arrogance” exhibited by Nevo.