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Jordanian Lawmakers Condemn US Plan to Move Embassy to Jerusalem
Jordan's lower house of parliament on Wednesday denounced a US plan to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem as a violation against peace and called for united Arab action to foil the US attempt.
In a sharply-worded statement, the House of Representatives said it strongly condemned a pledge by US President George W. Bush to stick to his election commitment to moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The statement said Bush's speech was an open provocation against Arab countries and the feelings of Muslims, and it violated the spirit of the Middle East peace process, which was heralded by the United States itself.
Bush's remarks also denied the Palestinians their legitimate rights over Jerusalem and were an open contempt for the interests of the Arab world as a whole, the statement said.
Bush said on Tuesday at a White House appearance with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that he will keep his election promise to move the embassy to Jerusalem, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Middle East war and later claimed as its eternal and indivisible capital.
The attitude of the Bush administration breeds great potential dangers to the region, and the Jordanian house calls for united Arab action during an upcoming Arab summit in Amman to take resolute actions against any attempt to change the nature of the holy city, the statement said.
Jordan supports the Palestinians in their efforts to regain legitimate rights, including the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is expected to top the agenda of the March 27-28 summit in Amman, along with international sanctions on Iraq and Arab cooperation in the trend of economic globalization.
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