Jordan Shuts Down Aaron’s Tomb to Jewish Worshippers

By: Baruch Yedid

Jordan has shut down the supposed biblical burial site of Aaron Hakohen after Jews visiting the site prayed there, an affront to the Muslims who believe the site is a mosque. Muslim elements in the kingdom called on the government to keep it closed to Jews only.

While the exact the location of Aaron’s grave is unknown, the Islamic tradition places it on Mount Hor, near Petra.

After footage of Israeli tourists praying at the site surfaced on social media, the Jordanian Minister in charge of the Waqf ordered the site completely shut. He promised to conduct an extensive inquiry into the incident.

In an attempt to fend off criticism, Jordanian Parliament Speaker Atef Tarawneh stated that the government views the site as an archeological one and not as a house of prayer. Some Members of Parliament protested the shutdown of the site, which they claim is a mosque.

While the Waqf has launched an investigation into the incident, it is clear that prayer of any kind at the site has never been banned. Jordanian officials are now claiming that the Jews prayer at the site was illegal.

Jordanian media sites tied this incident to the broader struggle against Israel for the control of the Tempe Mount in Jerusalem.

Ziad Abu Ziad, a journalist from the Palestinian Authority, warned in an article that the incident in Petra as part of an Israeli plan to establish a “greater Israel” that includes Jordan. He claimed the incident was not detached from Israel’s actions in Judea and Samaria, and that the Jewish state is exploiting Judaism for its political objectives.

The governor of the Petra area stated that no non-Muslim religious activity will be permitted in the district. Other Jordanians said that the site was built by the Mamelukes and had nothing to do with Judaism.

Jordanian MP Saed Abu Hafez stated that Petra was facing in “great danger” from the Jews who were seeking to change Petra’s Muslim character.

Social media users in Jordan ridiculed the government for its inaction and for its hosting of Jewish tourists.

Amar I’asarra alleged that the Israeli tourists were actually spies working to strengthen the Jewish Zionist narrative in the Jordanian kingdom and the Jews’ claim for the east bank of the Jordan.

Others on social media called to ban Jewish prayer in all of Jordan.

Jordanian displays of hostility toward Israel are not new. In December 2018, an Israeli flag was placed on the floor at the entrance to a gathering of Jordan’s engineering union.

In May, residents in the Jordanian city of Karak were enraged after the mayor offered help to Israeli tourists.

The residents called for a mass demonstration against what they called “displays of normalization with the Zionists.”           

(TPS)