AMMAN - A committee in Jordan's parliament has called for the expulsion of Israel's ambassador in response to activities by the Israeli army in occupied East Jerusalem.
On Monday, Israeli soldiers placed locks and metal chains on al-Rahma gate of the Al-Aqsa Mosque preventing hundreds of Palestinian worshippers from entering the site, while several were arrested.
In a statement read to Jordan's parliament on Tuesday, the Palestine Parliamentary Committee also called for the return of Jordan's ambassador from Tel Aviv.
"We call on the government to recall the Jordanian ambassador from Tel Aviv, and to expel the Israeli ambassador in Amman," the statement read.
The move to counter the latest Israeli measures has yet to garner an official response from Jordanian officials.
"[The measures] contradict the most basic human rights values and international laws," the statement read.
The committee warned that such actions "represent a new and dangerous stage that provokes millions of Muslims around the world" and entrenches "racial and sectarian divides … and incites hate speech".
Israeli police installed locks on the gate in response to members of Jerusalem's Religious Endowments Authority performing prayers there last Thursday, spokesperson Firas al-Dibs of the endowments authority told Palestinian news agency Maan on Monday.
Al-Rahma gate leads to a building that was sealed off by Israel in 2003 after it accused the Islamic Heritage Committee, which was headquartered there, of conducting political activities, Maan reported.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces reopened a gate, located on the east side of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The Jordanian MPs' statement acknowledged "royal efforts" that led to the removal of the chains.
According to local media reports, Palestinians performed their prayers outside the gate to pressure Israeli police into reopening the gate.
In videos circulated in local media, Israeli police were seen beating and physically assaulting Palestinian worshippers as they attempted to enter the site.(FA)
