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Jordan Working to Ease Tensions after Cancellation of Jordanian Prince's Visit to Al Aqsa

(N12-Hebrew) Ehud Yaari - The cancellation of the visit by Crown Prince of Jordan Hussein bin Abdullah to the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Wednesday, after he had arrived at the Allenby Bridge with his bodyguards, caused a momentary crisis between Jordan and Israel. The Jordanian government is now seeking to ease tensions over the incident. The Jordanians are aware of the fact that they depend on Israel for increasing supplies of water and natural gas. Ongoing issues between the two countries include Israel's shelving of the plan to build a pipeline to bring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. Jordan is also concerned about its shrinking status with regard to the Al Aqsa mosque, in light of growing competition from Turkey, the Islamic Movement in Israel, and elements of Fatah. Jordanians also fear that Israel plans to send thousands of West Bank Palestinians eastward into Jordan at the first opportunity, and they refuse to believe Israeli assurances in this regard. They also fear that normalization between Israel and the Saudis will lead to a Saudi foothold in Jerusalem. The writer, a fellow with The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is a veteran commentator for Israeli television.
2021-03-15 00:00:00
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