Jordan political coalition slams FM response to Jerusalem shooting

The coalition of nationalist parties in Jordan has strongly criticised a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry which “condemned” the shooting of seven Israeli settlers in an illegal settlement in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday.

The coalition slammed the statement and considered it a direct violation of the interests of the Jordanian people and the Jordanian state and said it contradicts the Jordanian people’s position.

Jordanian lawmaker Khalil Attia said he was ashamed by the foreign ministry’s statement about the “heroic operation” in Jerusalem which came at a time when the Jordanian government should reflect the state’s interests which are being violated by Israeli extremists.

Attia added that the ministry’s statement was “flawed and does not represent the honourable people of Jordan.”

Social media users also criticised the statement, while many politicians and senior officials said “more neutral” terms could have been used instead of “condemnation”.

However, observers believed that Jordan was simply trying to keep pace with fellow Arab states who had openly condemned the shooting, namely Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and stay relevant in the region.

On Friday, a Palestinian gunman killed seven people near a synagogue in an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem before being fatally shot.

READ: Who really sets the Israeli government’s agenda?