AMMAN/CAIRO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Tuesday summoned the Israeli ambassador in Amman and delivered a strongly worded protest message after Israel's extreme-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir "raided" the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.
The spokesperson of Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sinan Majali said in a statement that his country strongly condemned the provocative practice against the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, demanding Israel immediately cease all those violations.
"Storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by an Israeli minister and violating the mosque's sacredness is a condemned and provocative action and represents a stark violation of international law, as well as of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites," he added.
The spokesman also reiterated that the Jordan-run Department of the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs is the only authority to administer the mosque's affairs.
Egypt also expressed its regret on Tuesday over Ben-Gvir's visit.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Egypt expressed its regret that Ben-Gvir "stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque accompanied by extremist elements under the protection of Israeli force," stressing that it totally rejected "any unilateral measures that violate the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem."
The statement warned against the negative repercussions of such activities on the stability and security of the occupied territories and the future of regional peace, calling on all parties to practice self-control and refrain from provoking the situation.
Earlier Tuesday, Ben-Gvir visited the flashpoint holy site Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, which was denounced by the Palestinian side as a provocation.
The Jerusalem holy site has been administered by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, a Jordanian body, since 1948. According to a 1967 agreement between Israel and Jordan, non-Muslim worshippers can visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound but are prohibited from praying there. ■
