KING ABDULLAH of Jordan added to pressure on Israel over its settlements policy yesterday, demanding that the international community take firm action over what he called the “red line” of Jerusalem.
The king, a close ally of the US and Britain, demanded “firm, swift, direct and effective action to stop Israel’s provocative measures in Jerusalem that seek to change its identity and threaten holy sites”.
“Jerusalem is a red line and the world should not be silent about Israel’s attempts to get rid of Jerusalem’s Arab residents, Muslims or Christians,” the king told the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, according to a palace statement.
Baroness Ashton is visiting Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip today before flying to Moscow to join a meeting of the Middle East Quartet: Hillary Clinton for the US, the UN’s Ban Ki-Moon, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and special representative Tony Blair.
The king’s comments came a day after the worst clashes in months broke out across East Jerusalem during a so-called “day of rage” as Hamas urged Muslims to reach the al-Aqsa mosque to protect it from an alleged Israeli takeover attempt.
Jordan is one of only three Arab countries that have peace treaties with Israel. King Abdullah’s strong language reflects dismay at the deadlock in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and the opportunities it offers to Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran.
The 1994 Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty recognises the Hashemite kingdom’s “historic” role in caring for the Muslim holy sites in East Jerusalem. – (Guardian service)