Jordan's king blasts Israel's "provocative" measures in Jerusalem

Oct 5, 2009, 21:36 GMT

Amman - King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday condemned Israel's 'provocative measures' in East Jerusalem and called for 'immediate' action by the world community to force the Jewish state to halt its violations of the sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque.

The monarch made the remarks as he presided over an emergency meeting of Jordan's National Council of Policies (NCP) to discuss the latest unilateral Israeli measures in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war.

The meeting was the culmination of a series of reactions by Jordan to the breaking into al-Aqsa Mosque at least twice by Israeli troops over the last couple of weeks that sparked clashes with Palestinian worshippers.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Monday summoned the Amman ambassadors of the UN Security Council permanent members - the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia - asking their governments to immediately intervene to force Israel to stop sending troops into al-Aqsa Mosque. He also asked for a halt to Israeli demolition of Palestinian houses with the aim of changing East Jerusalem's demographic structure and a stop to settlement building.

'Jordan categorically rejects Israel's provocative steps, which could derail efforts being exerted to arrive at a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and jeopardize security and stability in the region,' a royal court statement quoted the king as telling the NCP.

Under the 1994 peace treaty between the two neighbours, Israel acknowledged Jordan's right to look after both the Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem, which is still considered by the United Nations as an occupied territory.