The Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday that Jordan is returning its ambassador to Tel Aviv after he had been recalled in November over what Jordan referred to as Israeli “aggression” on the Temple Mount.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said Israel had taken significant steps to ease tensions and had lifted restrictions on Muslim worshipers at the holy site in Jerusalem. King Abdullah is the official custodian of the site, the third holiest in Islam and also the location of the holiest place in Judaism.
"We noticed in the last period a significant improvement in Haram al-Sharif with numbers of worshipers reaching unprecedented levels," Momani said. Haram al-Sharif, known in Judaism as Temple Mount, is where al Aksa mosque is located.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the Jordanian decision, calling it “an important step that reflects Israeli-Jordanian joint interests, first and foremost stability, security and peace.”
Ambassador Walid Obeidat was recalled in November shortly after the Temple Mount was closed to Muslim worshipers for a day in the aftermath of the terrorist shooting attack against right-wing activist Yehuda Glick.
At the time, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said, “Recalling our ambassador for consultation is an indication of the seriousness of the situation. Calm has to be restored, Israel has to respect the sanctity of the holy sites and I think this will resonate today.”
“We have sent repeated messages to Israel directly and indirectly that Jerusalem is a redline,” the Jordanian foreign minister continued, citing “continuous violations and incursions,” “stopping people from worshiping freely and allowing extremists to come in under the protection of the Israeli police and so many other violations.”
He warned that Israeli actions were “infuriating the emotions and the sensitivity of 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.”