Israeli media reported on March 21 that Jordan’s King Abdullah II will visit Ramallah next week and meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to avert a possible security escalation during Ramadan.
The visit comes amid growing concern among Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians about the possibility of renewed violence in the Palestinian territories in the coming weeks.
“If Israel wishes to avoid friction, it must prevent settlers’ incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, which coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday,” Palestine stated, adding that the Palestinian leadership will tell King Abdullah II: “Let the Jews pray in their designated locations and leave Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the Muslim prayer during Ramadan.”
According to a Palestinian source, “Israel is exploiting the world’s preoccupation with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to escalate its measures against the Palestinians by doubling settlement activity, imposing new facts on the ground, and announcing its intention to conduct settler incursions into the Temple Mount during Ramadan.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with the King last month in Amman and briefed him on Israeli concerns regarding the escalation of tensions in Jerusalem. Israeli Minister of Internal Security Amr Bar-Lev has also requested a meeting with Abbas to discuss this matter prior to Ramadan. Israel is coordinating its efforts with Palestinian and regional actors in order to avert a possible escalation during Ramadan.
According to Palestinian sources, Israeli intelligence offered Palestinian leaders a deal in which they would stop the Israel Defense Force’s incursions into Palestinian cities during Ramadan in exchange for refraining from violent attacks.
