Jordan’s King Abdullah II, speaks during the opening session of the World Economic Forum at the Covention Center, in Southern Shuneh at Dead Sea resort, 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of Amman, Jordan, Friday, May 15, 2009. King Abdullah II told an international economic gathering Friday that a renewed U.S. commitment to resolving the lingering Mideast conflict providing a unique opportunity for peace in the volatile region and urged Israel to work toward that goal.(Hussein Malla/AP Images)
(JTA) — A day after Jordan’s King Abdullah sharply criticized Israel’s actions in defusing violence on the Temple Mount, Israel accused Jordan of being partially responsible for the conflict.
In a strongly worded message to Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Monday that the Jordanian Waqf, an Islamic authority that administers the Temple Mount site, allowed Muslims to stockpile weapons in the Al-Aqsa mosque.
“Don’t run away from your responsibility,” Netanyahu’s message read, according to Israel’s Channel 2. “The Waqf broke the status quo by letting rioters armed with stones sleep in the Al-Aqsa mosque.”
READ: Violence has spiked in Jerusalem — here’s why
On Sunday, Abdullah told a group of visiting Arab-Israeli Knesset members that the Temple Mount was only for Muslim prayer. He condemned an Israeli police raid on Sept. 13 that uncovered a stockpile of bombs and rocks that officials feared would be used to injure Jewish worshippers.
“What is Netanyahu trying do achieve with this action; is he trying to cause an explosion?” Abdullah said in the meeting, according to the Hebrew website Maariv.
Abdullah hinted that he would bring up the issue with the European Union.
Israeli police have clashed with Muslim protesters in and around the Temple Mount over the past two weeks. Jews are allowed to enter the site but are not allowed to pray.
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