Jordan condemns ‘dangerous’ Israeli decision to shutter building at Temple Mount

Jordan is condemning a ruling by an Israeli court to shutter a side building on the Temple Mount that has been the source of tensions between security forces and the Islamic Waqf, which acts as the custodian of the volatile holy site on behalf of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

A statement from Jordan’s Foreign Ministry says it sees Israel as responsible for the “dangerous consequences of the decision” and calls for the ruling regarding the Gate of Mercy to be reversed.

“According to international law, East Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are part of the Palestinian lands that were occupied in 1969 are therefore not under the jurisdiction of the Israeli legal system,” the statement says according to reports in Hebrew-language media.

Earlier, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ordered the Gate of Mercy or Golden Gate closed while legal proceedings continue.