One of the important tasks that will be faced by Prime Minister Netanyahu in the coming weeks will be to try and reduce the tensions in relations between Israel and Jordan, which increased greatly during the month of Ramadan following the violent events inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, after the police dispersed with great force, in full view of the cameras, Palestinian youths who had barricaded themselves in the mosque and were planning to attack the police and in the Jews who visit the Temple Mount.
Prime Minister Netanyahu flew to Jordan, immediately after taking office and met with King Abdullah of Jordan, at the center of the conversation was the issue of the security situation on the Temple Mount and the royal demand to maintain Jordan’s position as the guardian of the holy places in Jerusalem, as required by the peace agreement between the two countries, Netanyahu promised the King of Jordan to maintain fully on the status quo on the Temple Mount.
During the month of Ramadan, there was a serious deterioration in Jordan’s relations with Israel following the violent events on the Temple Mount, as expressed in Jordan’s diplomatic rhetoric towards Israel, the Jordanians saw the Israeli activity as a violation of Jordan’s position as the guardian of the holy places in Jerusalem and an attempt to impose a division of the Temple Mount between Muslims and Jews as was done In the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron in 1994.
Jordanian sources say that the worsening of the official diplomatic rhetoric against Israel was done on the orders of King Abdullah to contain the great anger on the Jordanian street and in the parliament towards the Jordanian government for not taking a hard hand and not cutting relations with Israel or expelling the Israeli ambassador from Amman.
The Jordanian government strongly condemned Israel for what happened on the Temple Mount and accused it of escalation, Jordan initiated an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic States to discuss what was happening on the Temple Mount and East Jerusalem.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi stated that there will be no peace in the region if the Palestinian people do not receive their rights, he emphasized that Jordan will not give up and will not conduct any negotiations on its position as guardian of the holy places in Jerusalem.
The Al-Jazeera channel reported a few days ago that the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi refused three times to receive phone calls from Israeli officials, during the crisis at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and that he rejected a request from Israel that was conveyed to him through an intermediary that the Jordanian Waqf on the Temple Mount would assist in the evacuation of Palestinians who barricaded themselves in the Al-Aqsa Mosque one night.
Senior officials in Israel accuse the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi of being the main engine working to worsen relations between the Hashemite Kingdom and Israel and of displaying an open anti-Israeli stance, perhaps in an attempt to upgrade himself to the position of prime minister in the future.
About 70 percent of Jordan’s population is of Palestinian origin, and every event on the Temple Mount excites them and is especially exploited by the Islamic elements to incite against Israel.
The Biden administration made a political effort in preparation for the month of Ramadan and initiated two security meetings in Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of representatives of the US, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Egypt to try and maintain calm during the month of Ramadan, but it seems that it failed in its mission.
The United States acted in the United Nations in favor of Israel and prevented the publication of a statement by the Security Council on the situation on the Temple Mount. Political officials in Jerusalem accuse the Waqf on the Temple Mount, which is subordinate to the Jordanian government, for not fulfilling its duty and not cooperating with the Israeli effort to prevent the provocations and violence of Palestinian youths. on the Temple Mount.
Senior political figures stress that Israel has no interest in worsening relations with Jordan, with whom it has a peace agreement, and Prime Minister Netanyahu will work to calm tensions between the two countries after the month of Ramadan.
The Biden administration is also putting pressure on the Hashemite royal house to moderate its public statements against Israel and try to return to calm relations.
A senior political official emphasizes that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s promise to King Abdullah of Jordan stands and that Israel will not harm the status quo on the Temple Mount.
