Jordan condemns Israel measures in Jerusalem

AMMAN — The government on Saturday denounced the closure of the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem by Israeli occupation authorities and preventing Muslim worshippers from reaching Al Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. 

Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani said the closure constitutes a flagrant violation of the sanctity of the holy month.

No more than 10 per cent of the worshippers of those who wanted to perform prayers at the mosque managed to do so on the first Friday of the holy month because of the tight security cordon Israel imposed around the city’s entrances, Momani noted. 

Momani warned occupation authorities against continuing to provide protection and cover up for acts of aggression by Israeli extremists on the holy sites and against the Palestinian and the Muslim congregations, stressing that Jordan considers Jerusalem and the holy sites a top priority.   

He called on the international community, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League to take all necessary measures to ensure that the Israeli occupation authorities stop the violations against Al Aqsa Mosque and to protect the innocent civilians in Jerusalem and the occupied territories.