Heating Up, Jordanian Parliament Supports Proposal To Expire Israeli Ambassador

AMMAN – Parliament Jordan voted in favor of the proposal to expel the envoy Israel . It comes three days after an Israeli minister sparked an uproar by displaying a map depicting the Israeli state including all of Jordan and Palestine.

The speaker of the Jordanian Lower House chairing the meeting, Ahmad Safadi, called for taking effective action against the actions of the Israeli officials, Jordan’s official Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported as quoted from Al ArabiaThursday (23/3/2023).

Jordanian MPs reiterated their rejection of Israeli ultra-nationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s move which implied Israeli arrogance and disrespect for international treaties and charters.

On Sunday, Smotrich spoke from a podium decorated with a map showing Israel including all of Jordan and Palestine and said there is no such thing as a Palestinian people, or Palestinian history or culture.

Several countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, condemned Smotrich’s remarks.

On Monday, Amman summoned Israel’s ambassador in Jordan over the map and said that Smotrich’s actions violated international norms and Jordan’s peace agreement with Israel.

An official source told Reuters on Tuesday that Israel’s national security adviser called Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to assure him that Israel respects its country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

(ian)