AMMAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordanian King Abdullah II on Monday urged Israel to remove all security measures at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The king said immediate measures should be taken to restore stability in the holy site and end the continued tensions, underlining the need to remove all security measures taken by Israel.
Israel has installed metal detectors and cameras at the entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known by Jews as the Temple Mount, since July 14 after a shooting incident in which three Israeli Arab gunmen shot dead two Israeli policemen at the site before being killed.
Israel has also limited access to the mosque by Palestinian Muslim worshipers in order to prevent further violence.
But the Israeli measures have angered Palestinians and the Muslim world, which regard them as an attempt by Israel to claim further control over the compound, which is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest site for Jews.
Daily clashes have erupted between Palestinians and Israeli security forces since the installation of detectors, resulting in the death of five Palestinians in the past week.
King Abdullah said it was important to agree on steps to prevent any future escalation, stressing on the need to respect the historic and legal status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israel has taken over control over East Jerusalem in the 1967 war, but the mosque compound has been managed by Jordanian religious authorities supervised by the Jordanian government.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian Public Security Department said that an investigation was still underway into the shooting at a building near the Israeli embassy in Amman on Sunday, which resulted in the death of two Jordanians and the injury of one Israeli guard.
Jordan insists on interrogating the Israeli guard, but was rejected by Israel.
