14 aug 2019
The Israeli occupation on Tuesday threatened to assassinate Hamas leaders during any future military aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Israel held Hamas responsible for the "recent attacks" carried out "armed Palestinians" on the border between the Gaza Strip and the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz in press statements said, "We are working constantly to reduce the threat of Hamas, such as by destroying their tunnels. We currently respond to every security incident, but there is the possibility that we could begin a campaign there."
Kats talked about the latest infiltration attempts into the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories from the Gaza Strip which led to the killing of five Palestinians and said, "We will not tolerate this."
He added that the moment Israel decides a new military campaign against the Gaza Strip there will be no immunity for Hamas leaders.
Member of Hamas's political bureau Salah al-Bardawil said that his movement is not afraid of Israeli threats to assassinate Hamas figures and launch a new military assault on the Gaza Strip.
Al-Bardawil said that these threats, which are part of internal election campaigns, are not the first of their kind.
"Every party want to show the public that they are the strongest through racist statements against the Palestinian people and their resistance. That's all they have for the elections," he added.
He continued, "Who wants to fight for the future of Palestine is fully aware that the price will be very high, and we are ready to pay all the prices for our rights."
The Hamas official said that Israel is not ready for a new war, but warned that Israel now bets on the increasing normalization between Israel and some Arab countries hoping that it would isolate the Palestinians in the region and push them to surrender, which "will not happen" as al-Bardawil said.
Israel held Hamas responsible for the "recent attacks" carried out "armed Palestinians" on the border between the Gaza Strip and the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz in press statements said, "We are working constantly to reduce the threat of Hamas, such as by destroying their tunnels. We currently respond to every security incident, but there is the possibility that we could begin a campaign there."
Kats talked about the latest infiltration attempts into the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories from the Gaza Strip which led to the killing of five Palestinians and said, "We will not tolerate this."
He added that the moment Israel decides a new military campaign against the Gaza Strip there will be no immunity for Hamas leaders.
Member of Hamas's political bureau Salah al-Bardawil said that his movement is not afraid of Israeli threats to assassinate Hamas figures and launch a new military assault on the Gaza Strip.
Al-Bardawil said that these threats, which are part of internal election campaigns, are not the first of their kind.
"Every party want to show the public that they are the strongest through racist statements against the Palestinian people and their resistance. That's all they have for the elections," he added.
He continued, "Who wants to fight for the future of Palestine is fully aware that the price will be very high, and we are ready to pay all the prices for our rights."
The Hamas official said that Israel is not ready for a new war, but warned that Israel now bets on the increasing normalization between Israel and some Arab countries hoping that it would isolate the Palestinians in the region and push them to surrender, which "will not happen" as al-Bardawil said.
Otzma Yehudit allowed to run on September 17 due to tied voting in Central Elections Committee; Lapid slams missing representative, says Labor will be to blame if racist party enters parliament
Extreme-right party Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) narrowly escaped a ban on running in the Knesset elections next month when the absence of a Labor Party representative on the Central Elections Committee resulted in a tied vote on the issue.
The committee headed by Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer met Wednesday morning to discuss disqualification requests for Otzma Yehudit, the Joint Arab List, and Yesh Atid (which is currently folded into the Blue and White party). The committee includes members from a range of political parties, and each party is allocated an number of seats according to its size.
As the vote was not in a favor of a ban, the Otzma Yehudit candidates - Baruch Marzel, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bentzi Gopstein - can compete in the September 17 elections.
Representatives on the committee from the Blue and White, Labor and Arab parties all supported the ban on Otzma Yehudit, while the Likud, religious and other right-wing parties opposed it, leading to a 15-15 tied vote. Had Labor representative Sami Shoshan (who is also the brother-in-law of party leader Amir Peretz) been present, the ban would have been implemented.
The Blue and White rmembers of the committee asked that the vote be delayed until Shoshan returned, but it was too late.
"It was just a mishap. I was at the committee all day. My replacement was supposed to be here, but he did not arrive," Shoshan told Ynet.
"It was a human error, there was no intention to skip the vote and there was no deal. I hope they allow me to vote again."
The Labor Party also attributed the missed vote to a simple mistake.
"Due to human error, one of the two Labor party officials was absent from the hall during the vote, and therefore the vote was tied. The issue was examined by the party's campaign headquarters.
"Tomorrow morning, the Labor Party will submit a request to the Supreme Court to disqualify Itamar Ben-Gvir's racist Otzma Yehudit party."
Nonetheless, Labor came under fire from other members of the center-left bloc for missing the vote.
"What is going on in the Central Elections Committee is a scandal," wrote Blue and White MK Yair Lapid on Twitter. "There was a majority to reject the racist Otzma Yehudit party, but the Labor representative was not around. If there is racism in the Knesset, the Labor Party will bear the majority of the blame."
By law, the committee is empowered to ban a candidate for denying the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, inciting racism or supporting the armed struggle of an enemy state or terrorist organization against the state.
The commitee's rulings are not binding, however, and any decision to disqualify a candidate must be approved by the High Court.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Tuesday informed the Central Election Committee that he recommended banning Marzel and Gopstein due to allegations of racism and incitement, but excluded Ben-Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit party as a whole.
"There is a critical mass of evidence, much more than needed, proving that there has been severe, clear and undisputed incitement to racism by (Gopstein, Marzel) over the years," wrote Mandelblit.
Mandelblit found no reason to disqualify Yesh Atid and the Joint Arab List.
Otzma Yehudit is the latest incarnation of the Jewish National Front, which was established ahead of the 2006 elections, but its roots are in the Kach movement, which racist rabbi Meir Kahane established in the 1970s.
Kach was a radical and racist right-wing movement with fascist characteristics; it called to expel Arab citizens from Israeli territory and promoted racist legislation against all non-Jews. It also believed in making Israel a Halachah state (ruled by Jewish law) and in annexing all parts of Greater Israel.
After the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, when Kach member Baruch Goldstein murdered 29 Palestinian worhsippers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, all factions of the movement were recognized as terror organizations and subsequently outlawed.
The Jewish National Front was founded by Baruch Marzel, who was a prominent activist in the Kach movement in his youth. In 2006, the party waged an extremist campaign, filled with incitement against party leaders both on the left and the right.
At one campaign rally, Marzel told supporters that, "We need to carry out a targeted killing against (Ariel) Sharon and (Shimon) Peres at the polls. They're a danger to Israel."
Extreme-right party Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) narrowly escaped a ban on running in the Knesset elections next month when the absence of a Labor Party representative on the Central Elections Committee resulted in a tied vote on the issue.
The committee headed by Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer met Wednesday morning to discuss disqualification requests for Otzma Yehudit, the Joint Arab List, and Yesh Atid (which is currently folded into the Blue and White party). The committee includes members from a range of political parties, and each party is allocated an number of seats according to its size.
As the vote was not in a favor of a ban, the Otzma Yehudit candidates - Baruch Marzel, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bentzi Gopstein - can compete in the September 17 elections.
Representatives on the committee from the Blue and White, Labor and Arab parties all supported the ban on Otzma Yehudit, while the Likud, religious and other right-wing parties opposed it, leading to a 15-15 tied vote. Had Labor representative Sami Shoshan (who is also the brother-in-law of party leader Amir Peretz) been present, the ban would have been implemented.
The Blue and White rmembers of the committee asked that the vote be delayed until Shoshan returned, but it was too late.
"It was just a mishap. I was at the committee all day. My replacement was supposed to be here, but he did not arrive," Shoshan told Ynet.
"It was a human error, there was no intention to skip the vote and there was no deal. I hope they allow me to vote again."
The Labor Party also attributed the missed vote to a simple mistake.
"Due to human error, one of the two Labor party officials was absent from the hall during the vote, and therefore the vote was tied. The issue was examined by the party's campaign headquarters.
"Tomorrow morning, the Labor Party will submit a request to the Supreme Court to disqualify Itamar Ben-Gvir's racist Otzma Yehudit party."
Nonetheless, Labor came under fire from other members of the center-left bloc for missing the vote.
"What is going on in the Central Elections Committee is a scandal," wrote Blue and White MK Yair Lapid on Twitter. "There was a majority to reject the racist Otzma Yehudit party, but the Labor representative was not around. If there is racism in the Knesset, the Labor Party will bear the majority of the blame."
By law, the committee is empowered to ban a candidate for denying the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, inciting racism or supporting the armed struggle of an enemy state or terrorist organization against the state.
The commitee's rulings are not binding, however, and any decision to disqualify a candidate must be approved by the High Court.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Tuesday informed the Central Election Committee that he recommended banning Marzel and Gopstein due to allegations of racism and incitement, but excluded Ben-Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit party as a whole.
"There is a critical mass of evidence, much more than needed, proving that there has been severe, clear and undisputed incitement to racism by (Gopstein, Marzel) over the years," wrote Mandelblit.
Mandelblit found no reason to disqualify Yesh Atid and the Joint Arab List.
Otzma Yehudit is the latest incarnation of the Jewish National Front, which was established ahead of the 2006 elections, but its roots are in the Kach movement, which racist rabbi Meir Kahane established in the 1970s.
Kach was a radical and racist right-wing movement with fascist characteristics; it called to expel Arab citizens from Israeli territory and promoted racist legislation against all non-Jews. It also believed in making Israel a Halachah state (ruled by Jewish law) and in annexing all parts of Greater Israel.
After the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, when Kach member Baruch Goldstein murdered 29 Palestinian worhsippers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, all factions of the movement were recognized as terror organizations and subsequently outlawed.
The Jewish National Front was founded by Baruch Marzel, who was a prominent activist in the Kach movement in his youth. In 2006, the party waged an extremist campaign, filled with incitement against party leaders both on the left and the right.
At one campaign rally, Marzel told supporters that, "We need to carry out a targeted killing against (Ariel) Sharon and (Shimon) Peres at the polls. They're a danger to Israel."
Ben-Zion Gopstein from the Otzma Yehudit party
After AG recommends the committee denies Marzel and Gopstein's run for Knesset due to 'overwhelming' proof of racism and incitement, Shaffir blames Otzma Yehudit for bullying her online and Ben Gvir calls her a liar; Justice Melcer silences Shaffir's microphone as row intensifies
The Knesset's Central Election Committee (CEC), headed by Justice Hanan Melcer, met Wednesday morning, 34 days before the September elections, to discuss three disqualification requests of parties Otzma Yehudit, the Arab Joint List, and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party.
The discussions dealt with filings against the participation of entire party lists along with specific candidates in the coming elections for parliament, such as Baruch Marzel, Itamar Ben Gvir and Ben-Zion Gopstein from Otzma Yehudit party.
During the meeting, clashes between former MK and Democratic Camp candidate Stav Shaffir and Justice Melcer lead to Shaffir's microphone being shut down, after she was asked to step down from the podium and refused to do so.
This followed a clash between Shaffir and Otzma Yehudit party members, after she said that anyone who objects the far-right party's opinions receives threats.
Shaffir called Otzama Yehudit "an anti-Zionist and anti-democratic party" and said it should be disqualified; she added that the party chair Ben Gvir published her personal contact details online as an act of bullying and said dozens of treats on her life followed.
After AG recommends the committee denies Marzel and Gopstein's run for Knesset due to 'overwhelming' proof of racism and incitement, Shaffir blames Otzma Yehudit for bullying her online and Ben Gvir calls her a liar; Justice Melcer silences Shaffir's microphone as row intensifies
The Knesset's Central Election Committee (CEC), headed by Justice Hanan Melcer, met Wednesday morning, 34 days before the September elections, to discuss three disqualification requests of parties Otzma Yehudit, the Arab Joint List, and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party.
The discussions dealt with filings against the participation of entire party lists along with specific candidates in the coming elections for parliament, such as Baruch Marzel, Itamar Ben Gvir and Ben-Zion Gopstein from Otzma Yehudit party.
During the meeting, clashes between former MK and Democratic Camp candidate Stav Shaffir and Justice Melcer lead to Shaffir's microphone being shut down, after she was asked to step down from the podium and refused to do so.
This followed a clash between Shaffir and Otzma Yehudit party members, after she said that anyone who objects the far-right party's opinions receives threats.
Shaffir called Otzama Yehudit "an anti-Zionist and anti-democratic party" and said it should be disqualified; she added that the party chair Ben Gvir published her personal contact details online as an act of bullying and said dozens of treats on her life followed.
Democratic Camp candidate Stav Shaffir
Ben Gvir called Shaffir a liar and said she "isn't even interesting enough to be threatened."
When Shaffir refused to leave the podium Justice Melcer asked that her microphone will be shut off.
Attorney Oded Gazit, who represents the Blue and White Party in their plea to disqualify Otzma Yehudit, said that Gopstein defines himself as a follower of Rabbi Meir Kahane, adding that "the Lehava organization, headed by Gopstein, walks the streets on Thursday nights and hits innocent people."
He added that the Lehava far-right youth group was responsible for the arson of the Arab-Jewish school in Jerusalem, at which point Ben Gvir and Gopstein lashed out at Gazit and said there are no evidence backing his accusations.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit sent the committee on Tuesday his office’s recommendations. According to the recommendations, the committee should deny Marzel and Gopstein run for Israel’s Knesset, on the grounds of “racist” and “incitement” allegations, though excluding Ben Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit party as a whole.
"There is a critical mass of evidence, much more than needed, proving that there has been severe, clear and undisputed incitement to racism by them (Gopstein, Marzel) over the years," said the Attorney General. Mandelblit found no reason to disqualify Yesh Atid and the Arab Joint List.
Ben Gvir called Shaffir a liar and said she "isn't even interesting enough to be threatened."
When Shaffir refused to leave the podium Justice Melcer asked that her microphone will be shut off.
Attorney Oded Gazit, who represents the Blue and White Party in their plea to disqualify Otzma Yehudit, said that Gopstein defines himself as a follower of Rabbi Meir Kahane, adding that "the Lehava organization, headed by Gopstein, walks the streets on Thursday nights and hits innocent people."
He added that the Lehava far-right youth group was responsible for the arson of the Arab-Jewish school in Jerusalem, at which point Ben Gvir and Gopstein lashed out at Gazit and said there are no evidence backing his accusations.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit sent the committee on Tuesday his office’s recommendations. According to the recommendations, the committee should deny Marzel and Gopstein run for Israel’s Knesset, on the grounds of “racist” and “incitement” allegations, though excluding Ben Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit party as a whole.
"There is a critical mass of evidence, much more than needed, proving that there has been severe, clear and undisputed incitement to racism by them (Gopstein, Marzel) over the years," said the Attorney General. Mandelblit found no reason to disqualify Yesh Atid and the Arab Joint List.
Otzma Yehudit Chair Itamar Ben Gvir
Any disqualification decision by the CEC demands approval of the High Court, and thus the committee itself has no real power to decide on the disqualification of candidates.
The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel Adalah issued Tuesday a response to the request filed by Attorney Itamar Ben Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit party to the CEC, saying it was motivated by racism.
Joint List Chairman MK Ayman Odeh said, "there is no other way to say it: This is a request to disqualify the political representation of all Arab citizens. This racist move will be discussed tomorrow by the CEC, a political body some of whose party members promote campaigns of incitement and hate on a daily basis."
Any disqualification decision by the CEC demands approval of the High Court, and thus the committee itself has no real power to decide on the disqualification of candidates.
The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel Adalah issued Tuesday a response to the request filed by Attorney Itamar Ben Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit party to the CEC, saying it was motivated by racism.
Joint List Chairman MK Ayman Odeh said, "there is no other way to say it: This is a request to disqualify the political representation of all Arab citizens. This racist move will be discussed tomorrow by the CEC, a political body some of whose party members promote campaigns of incitement and hate on a daily basis."
Petra site of halted Jordanian film
Fears sparked by the film were stoked earlier this month when video emerged of Jewish visitors praying in a shrine said to be the burial place of Moses’ brother Aaron, near Petra.
A fictional caper about an antiquities heist set in an ancient Jordanian city has stirred widespread outrage over the film’s portrayal of historical Jewish ties to Jordan, shining a light on the tenuous peace with neighboring Israel and prompting the government to suspend the movie’s production.
Based on a book of the same name, the movie, “Jaber,” follows a Jordanian boy who uncovers a stone in the rose-colored, rock-hewn city of Petra with a Hebrew inscription on it.
He sets off to sell it to the highest bidder, but interested parties in Israel catch wind of the find, dispatching a Russian organized crime group to pursue the boy and retrieve the stone at any cost.
Opponents of the film say merely discussing a historical Jewish presence in Jordan could open the door to Israeli territorial claims to the Hashemite Kingdom.
They point to Israel’s claims over the West Bank and east Jerusalem — war-won territories sought by the Palestinians — which Israel says are rooted in millennia-old Jewish ties, backed up by archaeological finds.
While such a scenario is unlikely in Jordan, the concerns reflect the hostility Jordanians feel toward Israel despite the two countries’ 1994 peace agreement.
“Any talk about Jewish history in Jordan could lead to political claims,” said Ali Elayan, who was slated to play a Jordanian police officer in the movie but withdrew over his opposition to the plot. “That is what happened in Palestine.”
Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem, then under Jordanian control, in the 1967 Mideast war.
The Palestinians seek the West Bank for their future state, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Since signing the landmark peace accord, Israel and Jordan have developed low-key yet strategic ties on energy, water and security.
But the relationship has been tested in recent years. Last year, Jordan’s King Abdullah II decided not to renew parts of the peace deal regarding access to farming land.
And two years ago, a diplomatic crisis was sparked when a guard at the Israeli Embassy in Amman opened fire after he said he was attacked with a screw driver, killing two Jordanians.
Israel swapped out its ambassador to the kingdom and expressed “deep regret” over the incident. The guard, who claimed self-defense, received a hero’s welcome in Israel, infuriating the Jordanians.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the film.
While there is ample archaeological evidence of a Jewish presence in Jordan, only an extreme-right fringe of Israeli society seeks both banks of the Jordan River as part of Israel.
An overwhelming majority of Israelis make no claim to Jordanian land and place high value on the peace accord.
Ordinary Jordanians — many of whom are Palestinian refugees or have ties to Palestinians — view Israel with animosity.
The movie was set to begin filming this month when actors began dropping out over the script and taking to social media to air their criticisms, sparking a public outcry.
Seizing on the wave of public opinion against the movie, the government demanded that the director, Muhyiedeen Qandour, halt filming until an official commission studies the script and delivers recommendations on it. It is unclear how long that may take.
Qandour told The Associated Press that the film bears no political undertones. He rejected criticism that it invites Israeli territorial claims.
“Many civilizations passed through historical Jordan. You don’t see them now returning to claim parts of the country because they were here once in the past,” he said. “The argument made by some about the movie is simply naive and even childish.”
But opponents are still skeptical.
“We are not against Jews as Jews but we are against Israel as an occupying power which uses religion to take others’ land,” said Sari al-Asaad, the former head of the Jordanian Actors Association, who opposed the movie and lobbied to derail it.
Israeli nationalists have pointed to biblical history and archaeological discoveries to back up their claim to the West Bank, a territory Israel views as “disputed” and whose fate should be determined in peace talks.
The Palestinians have accused Israel of exploiting the Bible and ignoring other religions’ ties to the region to grab land.
Israel in turn accuses the Palestinians of denying a Jewish connection to the region to strengthen its own claim.
Fears sparked by the film were stoked earlier this month when video emerged of Jewish visitors praying in a shrine said to be the burial place of Moses’ brother Aaron, located near Petra.
Jordan shuttered the site upon discovery of the videos and ordered an investigation into the incident, according to the official Jordanian news agency Petra.
Clashes between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police at a key Jerusalem shrine holy to Muslims and Jews over the weekend have only bolstered critics of the film.
The east Jerusalem holy site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is administered by an Islamic trust under Jordanian stewardship.
“The government and the people in Jordan are unhappy with the relationship with Israel on a number of levels,” said Daoud Kuttab, an Amman-based analyst. “Usually Jordanian officials try to defuse the tension, but this time they didn’t.”
Fears sparked by the film were stoked earlier this month when video emerged of Jewish visitors praying in a shrine said to be the burial place of Moses’ brother Aaron, near Petra.
A fictional caper about an antiquities heist set in an ancient Jordanian city has stirred widespread outrage over the film’s portrayal of historical Jewish ties to Jordan, shining a light on the tenuous peace with neighboring Israel and prompting the government to suspend the movie’s production.
Based on a book of the same name, the movie, “Jaber,” follows a Jordanian boy who uncovers a stone in the rose-colored, rock-hewn city of Petra with a Hebrew inscription on it.
He sets off to sell it to the highest bidder, but interested parties in Israel catch wind of the find, dispatching a Russian organized crime group to pursue the boy and retrieve the stone at any cost.
Opponents of the film say merely discussing a historical Jewish presence in Jordan could open the door to Israeli territorial claims to the Hashemite Kingdom.
They point to Israel’s claims over the West Bank and east Jerusalem — war-won territories sought by the Palestinians — which Israel says are rooted in millennia-old Jewish ties, backed up by archaeological finds.
While such a scenario is unlikely in Jordan, the concerns reflect the hostility Jordanians feel toward Israel despite the two countries’ 1994 peace agreement.
“Any talk about Jewish history in Jordan could lead to political claims,” said Ali Elayan, who was slated to play a Jordanian police officer in the movie but withdrew over his opposition to the plot. “That is what happened in Palestine.”
Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem, then under Jordanian control, in the 1967 Mideast war.
The Palestinians seek the West Bank for their future state, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Since signing the landmark peace accord, Israel and Jordan have developed low-key yet strategic ties on energy, water and security.
But the relationship has been tested in recent years. Last year, Jordan’s King Abdullah II decided not to renew parts of the peace deal regarding access to farming land.
And two years ago, a diplomatic crisis was sparked when a guard at the Israeli Embassy in Amman opened fire after he said he was attacked with a screw driver, killing two Jordanians.
Israel swapped out its ambassador to the kingdom and expressed “deep regret” over the incident. The guard, who claimed self-defense, received a hero’s welcome in Israel, infuriating the Jordanians.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the film.
While there is ample archaeological evidence of a Jewish presence in Jordan, only an extreme-right fringe of Israeli society seeks both banks of the Jordan River as part of Israel.
An overwhelming majority of Israelis make no claim to Jordanian land and place high value on the peace accord.
Ordinary Jordanians — many of whom are Palestinian refugees or have ties to Palestinians — view Israel with animosity.
The movie was set to begin filming this month when actors began dropping out over the script and taking to social media to air their criticisms, sparking a public outcry.
Seizing on the wave of public opinion against the movie, the government demanded that the director, Muhyiedeen Qandour, halt filming until an official commission studies the script and delivers recommendations on it. It is unclear how long that may take.
Qandour told The Associated Press that the film bears no political undertones. He rejected criticism that it invites Israeli territorial claims.
“Many civilizations passed through historical Jordan. You don’t see them now returning to claim parts of the country because they were here once in the past,” he said. “The argument made by some about the movie is simply naive and even childish.”
But opponents are still skeptical.
“We are not against Jews as Jews but we are against Israel as an occupying power which uses religion to take others’ land,” said Sari al-Asaad, the former head of the Jordanian Actors Association, who opposed the movie and lobbied to derail it.
Israeli nationalists have pointed to biblical history and archaeological discoveries to back up their claim to the West Bank, a territory Israel views as “disputed” and whose fate should be determined in peace talks.
The Palestinians have accused Israel of exploiting the Bible and ignoring other religions’ ties to the region to grab land.
Israel in turn accuses the Palestinians of denying a Jewish connection to the region to strengthen its own claim.
Fears sparked by the film were stoked earlier this month when video emerged of Jewish visitors praying in a shrine said to be the burial place of Moses’ brother Aaron, located near Petra.
Jordan shuttered the site upon discovery of the videos and ordered an investigation into the incident, according to the official Jordanian news agency Petra.
Clashes between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police at a key Jerusalem shrine holy to Muslims and Jews over the weekend have only bolstered critics of the film.
The east Jerusalem holy site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is administered by an Islamic trust under Jordanian stewardship.
“The government and the people in Jordan are unhappy with the relationship with Israel on a number of levels,” said Daoud Kuttab, an Amman-based analyst. “Usually Jordanian officials try to defuse the tension, but this time they didn’t.”
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