Jordan Parliament recommends expelling Israeli Ambassador
Jordan’s parliament voted to suggest expelling Israel’s ambassador from Amman due to a far-right Israeli minister’s controversial comments denying the existence of the Palestinian people.
During the session, Speaker Ahmed al-Safadi urged the government to respond to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s actions.
Standing at a podium displaying a map of an expanded Israel that included occupied Palestinian territory and Jordan, Smotrich claimed that there is no Palestinian people.
After Smotrich’s remarks, Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador, and Egypt and the UAE condemned his words and actions in official statements.
On Monday, Jordanian officials said Israel’s national security adviser had told them that Israel respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbour.
The Jordanian parliament said that it was united in rejecting Smotrich’s comments, calling his actions a reflection of “Israeli arrogance”.
In his response to the parliamentarians, Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister Tawfiq Krishan said that the fall-out from the incident had united Jordanians.
“The map of Jordan is drawn only by Jordanians,” Krishan said.
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994, having fought against each other in 1948 and 1967.
Many Jordanians are Palestinian in origin, the descendants of Palestinians forced from their homes by Israel.