Jordanian PM says kingdom seeking calm in Jerusalem

Bisher Al Khasawneh praised Palestinian stone-throwers last week, angering Israel

People visiting the Mount of Olives gaze at a view of Jerusalem's Old City during a dust storm, April 24, 2022. AFP

Jordan is working on instilling calm in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh said today, in his first comments after drawing Israeli criticism for praising Palestinian stone-throwers.

Mr Khasawneh, who has little role in the kingdom's foreign affairs, last week lauded Palestinians who were throwing stones at what he described as zionists at Al Aqsa Mosque, a flashpoint of Palestinian-Israel violence.

He made his comments while Jordan's King Abdullah was in Germany recovering from back surgery. The king, who returned to Jordan on Tuesday, has been intensifying contacts with Western capitals to pressure Israel to stop Jews from entering the compound, diplomats in Amman say.

Official television reports quoted Mr Khasawneh as telling Christian Orthodox clergy on the occasion of the Eastern Easter that the kingdom "is working to spread the atmosphere of calm in way that guarantees and maintains the historic status that exists in Jerusalem".

Mr Al Khasawneh was referring to what Jordan regards as Israel's obligation to ask for the kingdom's permission before allowing any Israelis into the shrine, as part of a custodianship Jordan claims on Al Aqsa and other religious places in East Jerusalem.

Gaza war fear

Rocket launches from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday and Thursday prompted retaliatory strikes from Israel.

But unlike in May last year, when violence at Al Aqsa contributed to igniting an 11-day war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the repercussions have not extended to an all-out war.

Scores of people, mostly Palestinians, have been wounded over the past week in confrontations with Israeli police in and around the Al Aqsa compound, a holy site for both Muslims and Jews in Eastern Jerusalem. The clashes came after Palestinian extremists killed 14 people in Israel and Israeli raids on the West Bank killed 20 Palestinians.

Israel occupied the eastern part of Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. The 1994 Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty says Israel recognises a "special role" for Jordan in Jerusalem's Muslim shrines.

Mr Al Khasawneh said that Jordan is "against any attempt to change the historic and legal status of the Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem."

Israel described his praise of Palestinian stone-throwers last week as grave, and as encouraging militants.

Foreign affairs in Jordan is the purview of King Abdullah, who also holds all significant powers in the country. The prime minister's role is in the administration of daily affairs of the government.