UAE summons Israeli ambassador over Jerusalem riots

UAE: Full protection must be given to Palestinian worshipers on the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif.

Amir Hayek (photo credit: Courtesy)
Amir Hayek
(photo credit: Courtesy)

The United Arab Emirates summoned Israel's Ambassador Amir Hayek over police actions against Palestinian rioters on Jerusalem's Temple Mount and in the Old City. 

Hayek, who is Israel's first ambassador to the UAE arrived there in October of last year and this is the first time he has been summoned. He met Tuesday with Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday similarly spoke with Israel's Deputy Ambassador Sami Abu Janeb on the same issue. 

On Tuesday Al Hashimy told Hayek that full protection must be given to Palestinian worshipers on the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif.

She asked Israel to preserve the sanity of the al-Aqsa Mosque and "expressed concern over the escalation of tension that threatens stability and security in the region," according to her office.

 An Israeli security officer looks on at al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount in Jerusalem (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
An Israeli security officer looks on at al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount in Jerusalem (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Al Hashimy underscored the importance of respecting Jordan's custodial role on the Temple Mount. She spoke of the need to resume a peace process for the "establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with legitimate international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative."

The UAE, like Jordan, has been concerned that Israel is disrupting the status quo on the Temple Mount, a charge that Israel has denied.