Jordan brings provocative ‘Nakba tours’ to Jerusalem – near Netanyahu’s residence

“The existence of [Jordanian] tours in western Jerusalem that are promoting the false Palestinian narrative…is extremely troubling from a sovereignty perspective,” says Maor Tzemach, CEO of Zionist NGO Your Jerusalem.

By World Israel News Staff

A Jordanian government body is providing a “Sins of the Nakba” tour in Israel’s capital city, framing the establishment of the Jewish state as a disaster for the Palestinian people and promoting an inaccurate version of military history.

According to a Facebook post by a group affiliated with the Waqf – the Jordanian-controlled body that serves as the Islamic guardian of Al-Aqsa Mosque within the Temple Mount compound – guests may participate in a tour of the city, which is mostly focused on the Katamon neighborhood.

Some points of interest in the free tour, which presents a distorted version of events biased towards the Palestinian narrative, are located just hundreds of meters away from the Prime Minister’s Residence, Walla News reported.

The Foreign Ministry told Walla News that it was unaware of the tours and that an investigation into the matter has been opened.

Maor Tzemach, CEO of Zionist NGO Your Jerusalem, told World Israel News (WIN) that the tours have major implications regarding Israeli sovereignty over the city, as well as signified blurred lines regarding Jordan’s authority within Jerusalem.

“Jordan is crossing serious lines, diplomatically. The only authority that Jordan has is over the Temple Mount, and Israel should be questioning whether or not Jordan is handling that responsibility appropriately,” Tzemach told WIN.

“The existence of [Jordanian] tours in western Jerusalem that are promoting the false Palestinian narrative… is extremely troubling from a sovereignty perspective. We expect the Foreign Ministry to clarify matters, [and make it clear] that Jordan only has authority regarding the Temple Mount, and nothing more than that.

“Beyond that, Jordan’s incitement towards Israel in and of itself is extremely problematic.”

Although Jordan has maintained a peace agreement with Israel since 1994, the country has a long history of hostile rhetoric towards the Jewish State.

The country’s parliament recently voted to withdraw the Jordanian ambassador to Israel, though follow-through on that motion appears unlikely to happen.

Jewish and Israeli visitors to Jordan, even those simply transiting through its airports, have been subject to harassment by customs agents and seen their sacred prayer objects desecrated.

Israel-Jordan relationsJerusalem historyJordanNakbaTemple MountWaqf