Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Ayman Safadi said Tuesday that His Majesty King Abdullah is spearheading intensive efforts to safeguard the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque/ Haram Al Sharif and preserve the status quo at the Jerusalem holy site in cooperation with the Palestinian and Arab brothers.

He said at a press conference at the Prime Ministry that Jordan’s diplomacy is ongoing, adding that Jerusalem is “a case above politics and not subject to bargaining”.

The minister also said there were no deals or negotiations in handling a shooting incident at the Israeli embassy in Amman on Sunday in which an embassy staffer shot dead two Jordanians. The minister said Jordan had insisted that the Israeli diplomat not leave the country before taking a statement from him in the investigation into the shooting, despite his diplomatic immunity.

State Minister for Legal Affairs, Bishr Khassawneh, also told the press conference that Jordan is historically an abider of international agreements and was dealing with the embassy incident according to the international law.

Minister of State for Media Affairs and the government spokesman, Mohammad Al-Momani, said the government was in constant contact with the media, whether by direct contacts or through the police statements, regarding the Israeli embassy shooting incident.

He noted that government institutions prefer accuracy over speed in dealing with the public, adding that the government was cautious in revealing details about the incident due to case’s legal and diplomatic dimensions.

Source: Fana News