JERUSALEM: Israeli police briefly detained a top Muslim cleric yesterday as the Jewish state marked Jerusalem Day, sparking a furious response from Jordan which summoned Israel’s ambassador in Amman.
Police said detectives questioned Jerusalem Mufti Mohammed Hussein in connection with an incident at the flashpoint Al Aqsa mosque compound a day earlier in which “chairs were thrown at a group of Jews”. After six hours of questioning, they released him without charge, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
“The mufti was investigated for six hours over what happened at Temple Mount yesterday and over his recent declarations about the situation there,” he said, using the Israeli term for the sprawling plaza in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City. Palestinians condemned Hussein’s detention, and the incident sparked a furious response from Jordan, which has custodianship over Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem. Jordan’s Interior Minister Hussein Majali, the acting foreign minister, summoned Israeli ambassador Daniel Nevo, official news agency Petra reported.
“These Israeli actions violate international law and obstruct peace efforts. As occupying force, Israel is responsible for preventing such provocations. Jerusalem and Al Aqsa are a red line,” Majali said. Majali asked Nevo “to convey this message to his government in a very clear way,” Petra reported.
During a parliamentary session in Amman, MPs unanimously demanded the government expel Nevo and recall its own envoy from Tel Aviv, Petra reported. AFP
