Lower House to hold emergency session on Jerusalem

AMMAN — Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh urged Jordanians on Thursday to stand united in the face of Israel’s “hostile and arrogant” policies in Al Aqsa Mosque.

Calling the Lower House to convene next Tuesday for a special session on Israeli violations in Al Haram Al Sharif, Islam’s third holiest site, Tarawneh said Israel’s policies reflect the positions of a Zionist government that gives no importance to laws and international conventions. 

The speaker told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that any attack on Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem is a violation of Jordan’s sovereignty as the custodian of Christian and Islamic holy sites in the holy city.

Israel’s escalatory and unprecedented measures against Palestinian citizens and holy sites can only be described as barbaric and aggressive, Tarawneh added.

Earlier in the day, 11 MPs had filed a memorandum to the Lower House’s Permanent Office requesting an emergency meeting to discuss the Israeli assaults on Al Aqsa Mosque, according to Petra.

Also on Thursday, the coalition of leftist and pan-Arab parties issued a statement condemning the Israeli violations, noting that Jerusalem is facing the “fiercest” Zionist campaign to alter its Arab and historical identity through settlement expansion and the desecration of Al Aqsa compound by Jewish extremists.

The latest events in Jerusalem mark a dangerous development in the policies of occupation forces, the coalition said in a statement carried by Petra, saluting the steadfast Arab Jerusalemites who are defending their lands against the Zionist attacks.

The Islamic Centrist Party also denounced Israel’s “flagrant” attacks on Al Aqsa, noting that they harm the feelings of Muslims worldwide and confirm Israel’s persistence in its escalatory measures, which will fuel tensions and disrupt efforts to revive the Middle East peace process.

The Israeli government, as an occupation force, is responsible for any harm that befalls Al Haram Al Sharif, Petra quoted the party’s secretary general, Madallah Tarawneh, as saying.

He commended Jordan’s efforts and international communications to put an end to these violations and call for an emergency Security Council meeting to discuss them.

The Jordan Press Association (JPA) also denounced the Israeli closure of Al Haram Al Sharif in Jerusalem and its assaults on Al Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian people. 

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, the JPA said the Israeli escalation will lead to more tension in the region and give rise to a third Palestinian Intifada.

The JPA council called on the international community and the Arab League to take immediate action to halt Israeli provocations in Jerusalem and its violations of international law.

The association also commended Jordan’s decision to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv and complain to the UN Security Council about the Israeli measures.

The JPA also called on journalists to participate in a rally it is organising on Friday to protest against Israel’s actions in Jerusalem.