MIDEAST-PALESTINIANS/ISRAEL-AMMAN PROTEST Jordanians stage protest in support of al-Aqsa mosque

Record ID: 398757

  • Title: MIDEAST-PALESTINIANS/ISRAEL-AMMAN PROTEST Jordanians stage protest in support of al-Aqsa mosque
  • Date: 7th November 2014
  • Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (NOVEMBER 7, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CROWDS MARCHING AND CHANTING SECURITY OFFICERS WALKING IN CORDON DEPUTY LEADER OF JORDANIAN MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, ZAKI BANI RSHEID, WALKING IN CORDON (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DEPUTY LEADER OF JORDANIAN MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, ZAKI BANI RSHEID, SAYING: "The government took a first step but it needs to complete all steps by reconsi
  • Embargoed: 22nd November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jordan
  • Country: Jordan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7Q059XRJCUIA4EHDQXSUVHYZF
  • Story Text: Around 1,500 Jordanians staged a protest in Amman on Friday (November 7) after Israel shut down the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, also a sacred site for the Jewish community, for the first time in more than a decade.
    Protesters, who also staged a demonstration outside the Israeli embassy, waved Jordanian and Palestinian flags while chanting slogans expressing solidarity with the al-Aqsa mosque.
    Israel closed the compound housing the mosque for a day last week, following an attack on a far-right Israeli-American activist, who was shot and seriously wounded after speaking out against a ban on Jews praying at the site.
    In recent weeks, a campaign by far-right Jewish nationalists to be allowed to pray at the site gathered momentum, leading to clashes at the compound between Israeli security forces and Muslim worshippers angry at what they see as an assault on a shrine that is administered by Islamic authorities.
    While a Jordanian religious trust oversees al-Aqsa, Israel provides the security.
    Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel Wednesday (November 5) after what it described as Israeli 'violations' in Jerusalem and its holy sites.
    Deputy leader of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood Zaki Bani Rsheid praised the government's move but said it needs to take further action.
    "The government took a first step but it needs to complete all steps by reconsidering the Wadi Arba agreement, dismissing the Israeli ambassador from Amman and finishing all normal engagements with the enemy. This Israeli aggression against Jerusalem today is an aggression against Jordan and the future of the nation," Rsheid said as he marched with other protesters in Amman.
    Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani told Reuters that a Jordanian delegation would submit an official complaint to the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council in New York.
    For decades, Israel has maintained a ban on Jews praying at the site, which houses the Dome of the Rock and the 8th century al-Aqsa mosque. It was also the site of ancient Jewish temples.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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