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Jordan vows to protest against Israeli bridge plan in east Jerusalem
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-24 15:50

AMMAN -- Jordan will continue its efforts against an Israeli plan to build a steel bridge at the Maghareba Gate in East Jerusalem, which will "destroy the Islamic antiquities" in the area, local daily The Jordan Times reported on Sunday.

An official source was quoted as saying that Jordan will continue to exert diplomatic efforts to urge Israel to stop its practices with regard to east Jerusalem in general and the Maghareba Gate in particular, though Amman has not received any official response from Israel over its protest against the bridge building plan.

Jordan will also continue to press Israel to respect international laws, resolutions and the peace treaty signed between Jordan and Israel in 1994, under which the Jewish state respects the special role of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem, said the source.  

The source, meanwhile, dismissed reports that Israel had rejected Jordan's protest against the bridge building plan in the Maghareba Gate.

Last Thursday, Raef Nejem, Vice President of the Restoration Committee of Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, noted that Israel has a plan to build a steel bridge at the Maghareba Gate, which he said would destroy the Islamic antiquities in the area.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Salah Bashir met later last week with the Israeli ambassador in Amman and clarified Amman's position on the issue and highlighted the negative consequences in case of any unilateral measures by Israel.

Jordan also mobilized its international resources to stop the Jewish state from taking any unilateral action in Jerusalem that could change the legal quo status and escalate the tension in the region, according to the official source.

Jordan's royal Hashemite family traces their ancestry back to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and has long posed as guardian of the Islamic faith and the holy city of Jerusalem.