Jordan warns of Israeli plan for custodianship over Al-Aqsa Mosque

Jordan’s prime minister has warned of Israel’s plan to take custodianship of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Abdullah Ensour described the initiative by members of the Israeli Knesset as “dangerous” and a threat to the peace treaty signed between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom.

“Israel cannot select from the treaty as it wishes,” Ensour told the Jordanian parliament, “especially regarding Jerusalem.”

He pointed out that the Israeli parliament has not made a formal statement about this yet, so Jordan cannot respond formally. “However,” the prime minister added, “when the Knesset does decide, the Jordanian government will respond immediately.”

Several Jordanian parliamentarians demanded that the government should “resort to the military option in respond to the Israeli move”, while others called for the Israeli ambassador in Amman to be expelled and the Jordanian ambassador to be recalled from Tel Aviv.

Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty, most commonly known as the “Wadi Araba peace treaty”, on October 26, 1994.