TEL AVIV – The Jordanian parliament on Sunday praised the terrorists responsible for Friday’s Temple Mount attack less than 24 hours after King Abdullah II condemned the attack in a call to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Jordanian media reports, the parliament slammed Israel for closing the Temple Mount following the murder of two Israeli policemen, and prayed for the souls of the three Arab-Israeli gunmen who carried out the attack.
“May the mercy of Allah be upon our martyrs who sowed and watered the pure land,” said Parliament Speaker Atef Tarawneh. “We will raise our heads through the sacrifice of the young Palestinians who are still fighting in the name of the nation.”
He continued by blessing the families of the three cousins from the Arab-Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm, Muhammad Ahmed Muhammad Jabarin, 29; Muhammad Hamad Abdel Latif Jabarin, 19 and Muhammad Ahmed Mafdal Jabarin, 19, who carried out the attack.
“May Allah have mercy on our young people, members of the Jabarin family, whose family members deserve to receive glory and honor,” he said.
The speaker of the Jordanian House of Representatives added that the attack was justified, and that Israel and the “occupation” of Jerusalem were to blame.
“The damage caused by the Israeli occupation to the holiest sites in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa are the reason for the continued resistance, we will not not bow to oppression or tyranny,” he said. “Israel’s continued and serious crimes that it commits are the reason for lighting the fire of revenge in the hearts of the generation who still receive hatred of the occupation as their inheritance.”
The parliament called on the international community to coerce Israel into ending the “occupation and protect Palestinian rights.”
The parliament stood in prayer to honor the souls of the “martyr” terrorists.
Following the attack, the Temple Mount compound was closed for more than 48 hours as security teams swept the area for weapons.
News of the closure drew an immediate backlash from all over the Arab world, as well as sparking riots in Jordan led by the Jordanian Waqf trust that oversees the compound and the Al-Aqsa Mosque there. Jerusalem’s chief mufti, Mohammad Hussein, warned Israel against “any harm to Al-Aqsa.”
Without exception, the statements released by Arab nations and major Islamic organizations slammed Israel for preventing Muslims from entering the holy site, while omitting any mention of the the deadly terror attack as the reason behind the closure.
The statement from Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit complained that the Jewish state’s “banning Palestinians from praying” will only work to “inflame extremism and escalate tension” in the Middle East.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which consists of 57 member states and calls itself the “collective voice of the Muslim world,” also slammed Israel for closing the Mount, claiming the move amounted to “a serious crime and a dangerous precedent.”
Jordan issued a statement reading, “The Jordanian government opposes any harm against Muslims in carrying out their religious worship in their holy places, freely and with no obstacles.”
On Saturday night, three Waqf officials were arrested on suspicion of assisting or encouraging the gunmen who shot Druze police officers Haiel Sitawe, 30 and Kamil Shnaan, 22. Channel 2 reported that the three gunmen received assistance in stashing their weapons within the compound days before the shooting.
The Temple Mount compound was reopened on Sunday at noon with new security measures in place including metal detectors, sparking angry protests from Waqf activists who urged Muslims not to pray inside.