Jordan announced plans to convene an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic nations to address concerns over Israeli actions at religious sites in Jerusalem. The meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, was called in response to what Jordanian officials describe as escalating violations of a longstanding status quo agreement governing access to the compound containing al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, characterized recent Israeli activities as posing an imminent threat to the religious site. He pointed to an incident on July 23 when more than 2,000 Israelis, including members of the religious right and settlers led by Israel’s national security minister, entered the compound to pray and perform rituals. Jordanian officials described this as the worst violation of the agreement in modern history. The site holds religious significance for both Muslims and Jews; Muslims recognize it as home to two of Islam’s holiest structures, while Jews identify it as the Temple Mount, believed to be the location of two ancient Jewish temples.
Under the status quo agreement overseen by Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy, only Muslims are permitted to pray at the compound. The Western Wall, a surviving structure from the Second Temple period, is designated for Jewish prayer. Safadi expressed concern that tampering with these arrangements could spark wider regional conflict, warning that such actions “could trigger a religious conflict that will reverberate beyond Palestine and Jordan into the whole Muslim world.”
Jordan faces broader concerns regarding Israeli actions in the West Bank and water-sharing agreements. Officials have expressed anxiety about potential mass displacement of Palestinians and noted that Israel reduced water transfers to Jordan from 100 million cubic meters annually to 50 million cubic meters. The political pressures facing Jordan’s government have intensified domestic opposition to maintaining normal relations with Israel, with growing anti-normalization sentiment among Jordanian political movements. The meeting will include foreign ministers from Arab League countries as well as representatives from Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI