12 novembre 2009
Jordan: Jerusalem is a ticking time bomb
Jerusalem is a ticking time bomb where an attack by Jewish extremists on Muslim holy sites could erase any chances for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, undermining stability in the entire Muslim world, Jordan's US Ambassador Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein told the Washington Times in an interview published on Thursday. The Jordanian envoy referred to clashes between security forces and Arab rioters in Jerusalem in recent weeks, and explained that the Hashemite Kingdom was worried those events could lead to another incident such as the 1969 fire at the Aksa Mosque set by Australian Denis Michael Rohan. Rohan, a Christian, was arrested and later found to be mentally ill. "We are worried that, in the short term, something like this might happen," he said. "It would unleash emotions of an extreme nature [and] the consequences would be very severe," Zeid told the paper. He went on to warn that the US does not seem to realize the serious ramifications such an incident could have on the peace process and on the entire region. The threat of an attack on sites such as the Aksa Mosque compound "is the real showstopper [and] the issue that can turn US policy on its head," Prince Zeid reportedly said, but "there is no discussion about this in Washington. ... Something is not working right." The Jordanian diplomat stressed that the two-state solution was pointless if the Israeli government refused to discuss the status of the capital. (21,06)