The Jordanian parliament has passed a law prohibiting the sale and rent of real estate in the ancient city of Petra to Israeli citizens, following increasing reports of Israelis buying land in the city, the Jordanian daily al-Rai reported Tuesday.News stories in Arabic on the story show that the parliamentarians kept referring to the danger of Jews buying the land, not Israelis. But Jordan cannot easily ban Jews under the law.
The law differentiates between Israeli and other foreign investors, banning Israelis from renting or buying real estate in the entire Petra region, while allowing others to invest in land located outside Petra Archeological Park.
The law is an amendment to the Petra Development and Tourism Authority law and was submitted by two parliament members, Mahmoud Kharabsha and Assaf Shubki. It passed on Tuesday after a contentious meeting during which many parliament members voiced strong criticism against Israel, describing it as "the enemy" and "the oppressing entity" and emphasizing that Jordan should take revenge on Israel for its violations on Temple Mount.
MP Shubki told Turkish news agency Anadolu: "Our national sovereignty is more important than foreign investments and I will work together with my colleagues in parliament to enforce the law in all the regions in Jordan and not only in Petra.
"The Zionist enemy contaminates the Palestinian territories and does not respect any international humanitarian treaty. This law is a victory for the Palestinian people and it is the least we can do for them."
According to Jordan's Ministry of Tourism and Antiques, more than 100,000 Israelis visit Jordan per year.
MP Mahmoud Kharabsheh called on the government to enact a law prohibiting the sale of land to Jews in the Petra region.I have not heard of any Israelis actually trying to buy land in Petra, although it is a Biblically important area that attracts many Jewish tourists, causing consternation among Jordanian antisemites who accuse the Jews of planting fake archaeological artifacts there.
MP Kharabsheh that all Jordanians reject the idea of Jews owning lands in Jordan in general and in particular the Petra region.
Everyone is against the Jews because of their occupation of the Palestinian land, said MPs.
A number of members said, "The issue of land leasing in the Petra region must be limited to Arab nationals, and we may not lease land to the Jews and others."
One article says that they are concerned that European investors are also Israeli citizens, so I am wondering how the law is written. Perhaps the law says there is a ban for Israeli citizens or people eligible to become Israeli citizens, which would ban all Jews.
Either way, Jordan's antisemitism is revealed by the debate, if not by the precise wording of the law itself.
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