Al-Aqsa Oversight Can't Be Taken From Jordan: Pm

Jordanian oversight of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Muslim and Christian holy sites in Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) is not a gift to be given away, a top Jordanian official said Wednesday.



"Nobody can take this oversight [of Palestinian holy sites] away from Jordan," Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour added.



At a press conference in Ramallah, Ensour asserted that Jordanian supervision of the Al-Aqsa Mosque had been enshrined in international law as soon as the Hashemite Kingdom signed its 1994 peace treaty with Israel, adding nobody had the right to breach the terms of the treaty.



In 1994, Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty that normalized relations between the two countries and allowed them to exchange ambassadors.



Ties between the two neighbors recently soured, however, after an Israeli lawmaker proposed legislation that would revoke Jordanian oversight of Palestinian holy sites in violation of the terms of the 1994 treaty.



In recent months, groups of extremist Jewish settlers, often accompanied by Israeli security forces, have repeatedly forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex. The frequent violations anger Palestinian Muslims and occasionally lead to violent confrontations.



For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.



Israel occupied Al-Quds during the 1967 Middle East War, eventually annexing the holy city – which it then claimed as its capital – in 1980.



At Wednesday's press conference, Ensour reiterated Jordan's support for the Palestinian people.



"We have come to say to you [the Palestinians] aloud that we will continue to offer the Palestinian people whatever is needed for them to lead normal lives," he said.



Earlier Wednesday, the Jordanian premier – along with a delegation of Jordanian government ministers – arrived in Ramallah, where he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.



By Qais Abu Samra



englishnews@aa.com.tr - Ramallah