Jordan MPs: 'Cut Israel ties over bill'

15 lawmakers call for severing of Jordan-Israel diplomatic ties with Israel over Eldad's proposal.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Netanyahu Abdullah 248.88 ap (photo credit: AP [file])
Netanyahu Abdullah 248.88 ap
(photo credit: AP [file])
Some 15 Jordanian parliamentarians called for Amman to sever diplomatic ties with Israel on Friday, according to a report from the German news agency DPA. The lawmakers were speaking in protest of a proposal National Union MK Arye Eldad made in the Knesset last week that Palestinians be given Jordanian citizenship. "The voting on the proposal by the Israeli Knesset proves that the Zionist mentality of the ruling politicians in Israel does not believe in peace and has no respect for the peace treaties and UN resolution," the pro-government National Democratic Bloc said in a statement cited by the DPA report. Jordan's response, the MPs said, should be "the dismissal of the Israeli ambassador and withdrawal of the Jordanian envoy" from Israel. Last Tuesday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh summoned Israel's ambassador, also in protest of Eldad's proposal. According to the official Petra news agency, Nasser Judeh issued a strong protest to the ambassador "over a debate in the Knesset on a motion on a so-called two states for the two people on the two banks of the Jordan River." Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said that the envoy, Yaakov Rosen, explained that this was a proposal by an opposition MK member and did not represent the government or its positions. Herb Keinon contributed to this report