Israel says it has filed a complaint to Jordan over a picture of a Jordanian government minister stepping on an image of the Israeli flag.
Jumana Ghuneimat, minister of state for information, was pictured last week stepping on the flag design when entering a meeting at a trade union complex in Amman. Footprints were also printed on the flag design.
The image of the flag has been affixed to the floor at the entrance to the complex for several years to protest against Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and Jordan’s normalized ties with Israel, union officials say.
Israeli government complains to Jordan over flag trampling by Jordanian government spokesperson Jumana Ghunaimat https://t.co/7j9RdTswtq
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) December 31, 2018
Israel called Jordan’s ambassador in for clarifications on Sunday, the foreign ministry said.
Majed Qatarneh, spokesman of Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, confirmed that Israel had sought clarifications over the incident and the ministry was handling the issue through “diplomatic channels”.
He said:
“The Israeli side was informed that the building is a private one and the minister entered it from the main entrance for an official meeting. We have emphasized that we respect the peace treaty with Israel.”
Israel says it has filed a complaint to Jordan over a picture of Jumana Ghuneimat, Jordanian minister of state for information, stepping on an image of the Israeli flag when entering a meeting at a trade union complex in Amman. pic.twitter.com/hXCtoDemWS
— STN Somali TV (@STNSomali) December 31, 2018
Jordanian Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz was reported to have entered the building through a side door.
Israel and Jordan signed a peace agreement in 1994, but relations have often been frosty amid differences over Israeli policies in Jerusalem, where Jordan is a custodian of Muslim sites, and over the Palestine issue.
The only other Arab state to have diplomatic relations with Israel is Egypt.
(AJE, PC, Social Media)
Disrespect from one or both sides unlikely to advance peaceful co-existence. Both sides have a responsibility their own people should expect without regard to disrespect from the other side. Civility is a powerful tool.