Despite an effort to win sufficient support in the Jordanian parliament to oust Israeli Ambassador to Jordan Daniel Nevo, Jordanian lawmakers voted to permit the ambassador to remain in Amman.

86 members of the parliament of 150 voted to bring the matter to debate, a no-confidence motion towards toppling the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Nesour, but the government survived and the ambassador is not expelled as a result.

Lawmakers supporting the no-confidence motion feel Israel overstepped its bounds with recent events on Har Habayis, which Jordan views as being under its control based on rights it received in the 1994 treaty signed with Israel. Jordan has also signed an agreement with the PA (Palestinian Authority) in which the Hashemite Kingdom maintains its custodial control over Har Habayis.

Adding fuel to the fire from Jordan’s point of view was the recent detention of Jerusalem Grand Mufti Mohammed Hussein, who police believed took part in violence a day earlier in which a number of policemen were injured. However, despite the media hype surrounding the move to oust the Israeli ambassador to send a strong message to Israel, King Abdullah II used his royal authority to squelch the effort, realizing the consequences of a diplomatic row.

What is significant is the fact that Jordan, which is a moderate Arab neighbor nation to Israel is exhibiting signs of a growing anti-Israel fundamentalist attitude.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)