Jordan warns ‘provocative Israeli policies’ at Temple Mount could spark violence

Jordan is condemning the “provocative Israeli policies” at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City after clashes between police and Muslim worshipers at the holy site.

The clashes came as hundreds of Jews were allowed onto the site to celebrate Jerusalem Day, which marks the unification of the city following Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem and the Old City from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War. Police had initially said the site would be closed to Jewish visitors and tourists for Jerusalem Day, which this year coincides with the final days of Ramadan.

“We unequivocally condemn the continuation of Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa, by the break in of extremists [to the Temple Mount] in a defiant manner with the backing of security forces,” Jordan’s foreign ministry says in a statement, according to the Ynet news site.

The statement also warns against “the dangerous ramifications of the provocative Israeli policies, which could lead to a new escalation of violence that threatens the entire region.”

Jordan is recognized as the custodian of the Temple Mount, which houses the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest in Judaism.