‘World action needed to stop Israel violations’

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh late Wednesday urged UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the international community to stop Israeli violations in Al Haram Al Sharif compound in Jerusalem.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, Judeh called the UN chief and delivered a “strongly worded message” about continued Israeli violations and escalatory measures.

He cited the Israeli security forces’ storming the courtyard of Al Aqsa Mosque this week, where they closed the gates and prevented worshippers under the age of 50, including the mosque guards, from performing their prayers in the holy shrine.

They also intimidated Jordanian Awqaf Department staff and allowed Jewish extremists to desecrate the sanctity of the mosque, the third holiest shrine in Islam.

The minister stressed that such “flagrant violations would drag the region into a religious conflict, undermine the chances of achieving peace and nourish extremism, terrorism and violence in the region and the world”.

Judeh noted that His Majesty King Abdullah has directed the government to take all necessary measures, including legal action, to respond to these attacks and unilateral acts of aggression as Jordan Hashemite leaders have historically been the custodian of holy sites in Jerusalem.

In this capacity, the government will take all the necessary measures, including political contacts and legal options to counter Israeli policies, as Israel is an occupation force and has failed to uphold its commitments.

Judeh called on the United Nations, through its various agencies, and the international community to shoulder their responsibilities in line with the relevant international frameworks and conventions and intervene to immediately stop these violations.