Jordanian premier Abdallah Ensour might face a critical situation soon following a move in Jordan's lower house of parliament to hold a no-confidence vote against his government unless it expels the Israeli ambassador. A majority of deputies, 87 out of 150, on Sunday called for a new confidence vote if Daniel Nevo was not obliged to leave Amman. The deputies said the motion came in protest against government negligence of an earlier demand to expel Nevo and recall Jordan's ambassador in Tel Aviv, following violations carried out by Israeli security and settlers against Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem including the arrest of Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Mohamed Hussein. Despite the government's efforts to convince deputies that it spares no efforts in condemning the Israeli violations, the government response was not satisfactory. Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh countered that the kingdom's efforts helped in the release of Hussein. Ensour said that the government would call on the UN Security Council to meet in order to meet its responsibilities with regard to these violations. He told the lower house that Jordan would convey through its ambassador in Tel Aviv the kingdom's rejection of recurring Israeli army and settler attacks on the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque. Last week, Minister of Interior Hussein Majali said the Israeli ambassador was officially summoned. He was quoted by Jordan's state-run Petra News Agency as saying that the continued and systematic acts of aggression by Israeli settlers against holy sites in Jerusalem fuel tension, spark violence in the region, and undermine peace efforts. Majali added that Jordan holds Israel responsible for such acts and urges it to take the necessary measures to prevent these violations. He noted that the Holy City of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque specifically are a “red line” for the Kingdom as the Hashemites are now the legal custodians of Islamic and Christian sites in the city under a recent legal agreement signed between King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. But all these statements by the government were not enough for lawmakers, who kept threatening the no-confidence vote. The deputies' motion also received the support of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), and for the first time since January's parliamentary elections. IAF Secretary General Hamza Mansour described the deputies' motion in positive terms. “This is a courageous motion and was taken in the right time,” Mansour told Al-Ahram Weekly, adding that it reflects the will of the Jordanian people. Still, it is a test for lawmakers, according to Mansour who noted that if the government does not take action regarding the Israeli ambassador, the deputies have two choices: either to hold the no-confidence vote and collapse the government, or to resign. Whether the government is going to listen to deputies or not will be revealed in the upcoming few days.
