The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that it “categorically condemns” Jordan’s decision from the previous day to erase all mentions of Israel from its official parliamentary records.
“This decision runs counter to the spirit of the peace treaty which has been maintained for over thirty years. It must be denounced by all who strive to build a region of tolerance and understanding,” the ministry wrote on X.
https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/2026284870083772510
The Jordanian parliament unanimously voted on Monday in favor of removing the word “Israel” from its records, in a proposal submitted by lawmaker Hayel Ayash, Hebrew media reported.
Speaking in the plenum, the parliamentarian said that the name “Israel” elicits the idea of “enemy” for every Jordanian.
Lawmaker Abdul Nasser Khasawneh suggested formally substituting the term “Israel” with “usurping entity.”
The Jordanian move came in the wake of recent remarks made by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee that reportedly sparked anger in some quarters in the Arab world.
The U.S. diplomat, during a Feb. 20 interview with controversial podcaster Tucker Carlson, declared that Judea and Samaria’s Area C, which constitutes 60% of the territories, “is Israel.”
“Area C is Israel. And Israelis can live in Israel. That’s what it is,” he said.
He moreover stated that “It would be fine if they [Israel] took it all,” referring to the entirety of the biblically promised land, which today includes several Islamic states.
However, he immediately qualified his remarks, saying, “But I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here today ... They don’t want to take it over, they’re not asking to take it over.” The U.S. Embassy in Israel later said the comments were taken out of context.
Politico reported on Monday that top State Department officials were in touch with Arab countries that expressed anger over the remarks, saying these are Huckabee’s personal views and do not reflect a shift in policy.
