Israeli-Jordanian relations have taken a turn for the worse with accusations from both sides over access to Jerusalem's holy sites, ahead of the Greek Orthodox Easter this Sunday, and the Muslim holiday of Ramadan next week.
The Israeli news outlet Walla reported Thursday that Israel is blaming Jordan for fanning the flames over incidents last week at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif compound, when Israeli officers raided Al-Aqsa mosque, and clashed with worshippers that they claimed are barricading themselves at the site. On Thursday, Jordan condemned Israeli restrictions on Christians' access to the Jerusalem Holy Sepulcher Church for the Holy Light celebrations this coming Saturday.
The Walla report cited an unnamed senior Israeli official who specifically blamed Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi for exacerbating the crisis. In a reference to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the official said that Safadi had “acted like Jordan’s Ben-Gvir.”
The official commented on two recent meetings between Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian and American representatives in Jordan's Aqaba and Egypt's Sharm al-Sheikh. The official said that talks, held to calm tensions in the region ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, were positive. But after the first crackdown at Temple Mount last week, when police used force and stun grenades to disperse worshipers who allegedly amassed firecrackers and stones to attack Jewish visitors, Safadi grew resistant in communications with US and UAE interlocutors.
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