Jordan MPs Demand Israel Envoy's Expulsion

MPs in Jordan on Wednesday unanimously demanded the government expel Israeli Ambassador Daniel Nevo after detectives in Israel detained top Islamic cleric the mufti of Jerusalem, state media reported.

"The (150-member) lower house of parliament unanimously demanded the government ask the Israeli ambassador to leave Jordan, and recall the Jordanian ambassador in Israel," Walid Obeidat, the official Petra news agency said.

The non-binding vote came in response to "Israeli occupation measures at Al-Aqsa mosque" in the Old City, in the annexed eastern sector of Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur told the MPs that his government "views the Israeli violations in a very serious way."

Nsur added that the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv "will take all necessary measures to respond to these hideous crimes."

"If things develop, the government will ask the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting."

Israeli police questioned Hussein on Wednesday over a "disturbance" at Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Hussein was taken from his home by detectives to a police station "on suspicion of involvement in a disturbance" at the compound a day earlier, he added.

Mohammed Qudah, Jordan's Islamic affairs minister, said: "Israel has prevented worshipers from entering the mosque. It plans to build a bridge to link Al-Aqsa to some nearby settlements."

"Israeli excavations around the mosque have noticeably increased. Around 62 synagogues have been built around Al-Aqsa to form a circle around it," Petra quoted him as saying.

Qudah added that "the most dangerous development was when hundreds of settlers backed by the Israel army entered Al-Aqsa this morning."

"At the same time waqf (Islamic affairs) officials were prevented from going to their work, while materials needed for maintenance of the mosque were not allowed," he said.

The site, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosques, and is also venerated by Jews as the place where their two ancient temples once stood.

Some MPs demanded Jordan scrap its 1994 peace agreement with Israel, according to Petra, but a statement by the parliament did not mention the treaty.

"The lower house of parliament condemns Israel's dangerous escalation. Its repercussions will impact the entire region and create a new cycle of violence, insecurity and instability," the MPs said in a statement.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas inked a March deal with Jordan's King Abdullah II, confirming a 1924 verbal agreement giving Amman custodianship over Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem.