Israeli media sources reported that the Israeli new government refused a request by King Abdullah II of Jordan to increase the number of endowment employees on Sunday, February 5.

The sources revealed that Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s PM, rejected the request two days after it was submitted by the Jordanian ministerial council, as responsible for overseeing the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque and other religious sites in Jerusalem.

Two days ago, Jordan’s Ministerial Council approved a proposal to recruit 100 new employees for the Jerusalem Endowment Department.

In January 2022, Israel prevented dozens of guards appointed by the Islamic Endowment Department at Al-Aqsa Mosque, from assuming their jobs.

Since 2017, Israel has prevented the endowment department from increasing the number of guards, asking for providing a file for every candidate it sought to hire as a guard. The endowment department rejected the order. 

Earlier in January, Israeli occupation forces attacked and banned Jordan’s ambassador to ‘Israel’ Ghassan Majali from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Jordan described the move as an unusual provocation. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the Israeli ambassador had received a “strongly worded letter of protest to be conveyed immediately to his government.”