Interesting that Jordan is getting into this now. The walkway from the Kotel Plaza to the Temple Mount plainly does not threaten the foundations of any Muslim structure on the Temple Mount. If the Jordanian Waqf is so concerned about the safety of its structures, it should cease its own digging under the Temple Mount, which is considerable more hazardous to the health of Al Aqsa mosque than the surface walkway hundreds of feet away.
All lying and hypocrisy aside, why is Jordan saying this now? This quote from the AFP article below is the key:
“The foreign minister demanded that Israel halt any unilateral actions that might affect the status of Jerusalem, especially the issue of Al-Mughrabi Gate,” foreign ministry spokesman Nassar Habasheneh told AFP.
It has nothing to do with Muslim “holy sites”. It has everything to do with Islamic control of Jerusalem and the proposed dismemberment of the State of Israel. In AFP’s biased article, the Jordanians themselves disclosed the reason for their warning to Israel. Jordan expects to have Jerusalem, the Shomron and Judea back once the Palestinian peace plan has been put into effect.
Israel foolishly allowed Jordan to control the Temple Mount in conjunction with the Israeli Arab religious leaders, heirs to Hitler’s mufti Al Husseini. This happened after the Six Day War, where Israel had taken back all of Jerusalem. The anti-religious socialist government of Israel gave the holiest part of Israel back to Jordan and so left Jordan a legal foothold in the heart of Israel. Jordan is once again asserting the authority Israel allowed it.
But why now? Jordan, as part of the Arab League, is acting on the Arab consensus that Israel is weak to the point of giving in to any Arab demands, and is now ripe for the picking. With Islamic and Russian and Korean forces and weapons gathered along the north, east and south sides of Israel, helped by Chinese money laundries, and the western allies pressuring Israel to sacrifice itself for oil and Islam, Jordan has begun to sing its part in the east. There is no reason for Jordan to be shy any longer. What does a peace treaty matter when one country is Islamic and the other is expected soon to be deceased?
AMMAN (AFP) Jordan said on Thursday it summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest against plans for excavation and construction work near the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Jerusalem’s most volatile holy site.
“Foreign Minister Salah Bashir summoned the Israeli ambassador this week to officially inform him that Jordan rejects such illegal measures,” said MP Mohammed Abu Hdeib, head of the lower house of parliament’s committee on international affairs, after meeting Bashir on Thursday.
“Israel plans excavations near Al-Mughrabi Gate (of the mosque) and wants to build a bridge there, violating the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan and international treaties,” he said.
Abu Hdeib told AFP that the planned work “threatens the foundations of Al-Aqsa,” and warned: “This would also lead to a new violent conflict in the Middle East because Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims and Arabs.”
The Al-Aqsa site is also revered by Jews as the location of their ancient temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
In February last year, Israel began excavation work on a pathway leading from the Western Wall to the compound, Islam’s third holiest site, sparking Muslim outrage and prompting UNESCO to call for an immediate halt to the work.
The Jerusalem mayor’s office suspended work the same month, but failed to appease the Muslim authorities which asserted that the dig, while not under Al-Aqsa mosque itself, could harm its foundations.
“The foreign minister demanded that Israel halt any unilateral actions that might affect the status of Jerusalem, especially the issue of Al-Mughrabi Gate,” foreign ministry spokesman Nassar Habasheneh told AFP.
Jordan is traditionally considered the guardian of Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, which it manages in coordination with the Palestinian authorities.
“We have information that Jerusalem municipality will take a decision soon to resume work there,” Habasheneh said.
Bashir later held talks on the issue with ambassadors of the European Union and the UN Security Council’s five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
“The minister demanded that these countries use their relations with Israel to stop it from making unilateral moves in Jerusalem that would change the legal status of the holy city, including construction work on Al-Mughrabi Gate,” the state-run Petra news agency reported.
