Kerry heads to Amman for talks on Jerusalem tensions
Top US diplomat will also discuss fighting Islamic State, before visiting UAE for more security talks
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US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Amman Wednesday to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II regarding simmering tensions in Jerusalem and the fight against Islamic State jihadists.
Kerry, fresh from nuclear talks with Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, is to spend two days in Jordan before traveling on to the United Arab Emirates on November 14, the State Department said in a statement late Tuesday.
Last week, heavy clashes raged at the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem’s Old City as Israeli police faced off with Palestinian stone-throwers, prompting Jordan to recall its ambassador in protest.
The US has issued repeated calls for calm in the region, with the State Department saying that all sides need to do more to ease tensions.
Under terms of the 1994 peace treaty, Jordan is recognized as custodian of the Muslim holy sites in East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed in a move never recognized by the international community.
Jordanian officials had warned that the kingdom may reassess the peace treaty in the wake of what they called “unilateral Israeli violations.”
Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said on Sunday that revoking the accord was not on the table right now, but called what is happening a “stab wound to the idea of peace” and charged that Israeli policies were aimed at changing the status quo.
Tensions over the Temple Mount have been simmering for much of the past several months, as Palestinian Muslims have protested over increased visits by Jews and calls by right-wing MKs to allow Jewish prayer at the site, where it has been forbidden since 1967.
Even as Israel’s top brass, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have pledged to preserve the status quo and criticized right-wing MKs who add “fuel to the fire” by visiting the Temple Mount, the Palestinian leadership has taken a hardened stance.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said that Jews have no right to “desecrate” the site, which is the third holiest in the Muslim faith, and warned that a continuation of Israeli policies would lead to a “religious war.
In Abu Dhabi, Kerry will attend the Si Bani Yas Forum, an annual gathering of world leaders to discuss peace and security.
The Times of Israel Community.