Jordan internationally masses against Israeli far-right government’s ‘provocative’ acts

Jordan is massing the international rejection of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who give a speech on a podium with an Israeli flag to what is called “The Greater Israel” including parts of Jordanian territories and denied Palestine, a move rejected and condemned by Arab countries that could lead to an end of the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty.

In the past few days, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al Safadi made several tours to a number of countries' phone calls with counterparts of other countries, speaking about the Israeli provocative acts their potential dangerous repercussions on the region.

Recently, over a phone call between new Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar and Safadi, both ministers condemned the remarks by the Israeli Minister in which he denied the Palestinian people and its historical rights, saying such remarks were “provocative”. They called upon the international community to stop these practices 

Speaking to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borrel on March 23, Safadi said that the “Israeli gov’t must reject this despicable behavior […] Nothing, including coalition politics, justifies silence on this behavior. Appeasing such radicalism is a danger to all.” For his part, Borrel said that these acts are dangerous and unacceptable.

One day earlier, Safadi met his UK counterpart James Cleverly and a number of UK officials in London, calling for an end to “all measures that undermine 2-state solution & fuel tension & of confronting hate speech.” He had affirmed his comments during his visit to Tokyo two ago.

In response to Smotrich's alleged map that includes  Jordanian territories, the majority of the Jordanian House of Representatives, on March 22, voted for a recommendation of expelling the Israeli ambassador from Amman. . The Speaker of the parliament Ahmed Al Safadi, called upon the government to take effective measures.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government was formed by joining far-right and hardline politicians, like Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who totally oppose the two-state solution and seek to get rid of the Palestinians, as well as the desire to change the status quo of the Jerusalem, such as by allowing for Jewish payers to be performed inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. Jordan, through its Ministry of Awqaf [Endowments], is the guardian of the holy sites of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and there are non-negotiable rights for Muslims in accordance with the 1947 agreements and old international agreements. While non-Muslims are allowed to visit the area, they are not allowed to pray there.

Israeli far-right Returning to the Mount” group has announced that there is “real potential” that the Passover ( due on April 4) scarifies and prayers could be performed inside the Aqsa Mosque, Times of Israel reported January 3, 2023.

Safadi has warned that in case an escalation occurred in Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan, which coincides with the Jewish feast of Passover, “Jordan will do what is necessary not only to protect its positions and constants but also to support the Palestinian people,” reported Jordanian news agency Petra on March 21.

Jordanian political expert Sultan Al Hattab told Jusoor Post that Jordan could escalate the matter in response to Netanyahu’s far-right government’s acts, especially after the Jordanian parliament voted to expel the Israeli ambassador, saying “the [Jordanian] reactions may multiply to the point that may affect the peace treaty because when part of the map of Jordan be part of Israel, the peace treaty becomes meaningless.”

He added the Jordanian people, who inherently don’t believe in normalization with Israel despite the fragile peace treaty, got angry. Hattab continued that Israeli politicians do not abide by responsibility and this fuels the conflict.

Israeli storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and threatening to cancel the Hashemite Custodianship of the Islamic and Christian sanctities and to perform prayers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque and to seek to divide Al-Aqsa and non-abiding by Aqaba and Sharm El Sheikh meetings call for a Jordanian practical confrontation, Hattab said.

He noted that major powers’, like the US and the UK, stances changed towards Israeli when the US summoned the Israeli ambassador to Washington in a protest of the Israeli settlement expansion plan and when the UK and Israel do not issue a joint statement on Netanyahu’s visit to London.

“I believe that the world is beginning to realize that this far-right Israeli government is leading Israel and leading the entire region into more wars,” he said.