Jordan recalls ambassador to Israel in protest of Gaza op
Diplomat says Ambassador Ali al-Ayed will return to Tel Aviv only after Hamas, Israel sign ceasefire agreement to end Gaza fighting; clashes reported between anti-Israel protestors, police near Israeli embassy in Amman
Jordan has recalled its ambassador to Israel in an apparent act of protest against the IDF's offensive in Gaza, Ynet learned Friday evening.
Ambassador Ali al-Ayed was summoned to Amman by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry and was instructed by the government to remain in the Hashemite Kingdom.
The Jordanians have expressed great concern over the escalation in the Hamas-controlled coastal enclave, and clashes were reported Friday between anti-Israel protestors and Jordanian police near the Israeli embassy in Amman.
An Arab official told Ynet that Jordan recalled the ambassador as an act of protest, even though it had initially claimed that he was asked to return to Amman over an "internal matter".
Jordan's King Abdullah II told Al-Jazeera this week that he was worried that Israel was plotting a "conspiracy against the Palestinian people and the future of Palestine" in its offensive on Gaza.
"We must be aware of this conspiracy and God willing, we along with Arab and other countries, will stop Israel's agenda as soon as possible," he said. "We will work with other countries in the coming days to press Israel and its army to stop the aggression on Gaza."
The monarch added that Jordan was "concerned and upset, and fears about what could happen after Gaza, the aftermath of Gaza."
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, making it the second Arab state after Egypt to reach such an agreement with the Jewish state.
Protestors throughout the Arab world repeatedly demanded that both Egypt and Jordan recall their envoys from Israel and expel the Israeli ambassadors.
A diplomatic source told Ynet that Ambassador Ali al-Ayed will return to Tel Aviv only after Hamas and Israel sign a ceasefire agreement to end the fighting.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy commented Saturday about the reports of Jordan recalling its ambassador, saying that "Ambassador Ali al-Ayed had left for Amman prior to the launching of Operation Cast Lead, in order to attend a conference held by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
"We have learned from the media that he has decided to extend his stay in Jordan and has yet to return to Israel."
