Jordan on Tuesday condemned an Israeli plan to extend the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem high-speed rail line all the way to the Western Wall in the Old City.
Jordan's Foreign Minister called the move a "flagrant violation of international law." Ministry spokesman Daifallah al-Fayez urged called on the international community to "assume its responsibilities to resist the illegitimate and illegal Israeli steps," according to comments carried by the BBC.
Amman's was vexed by a statement made Monday by Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying the controversial plan to place a train station at the heart of the Old City will go ahead, with the aim of offering tourists easy access from Ben-Gurion International Airport to the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site.
Smotrich's office said the plan, introduced by his predecessor Israel Katz, had been delayed over the past year, without elaborating.
However, following a directive from Smotrich, the National Planning and Building Council approved a new route for the train, the Transportation Ministry said. It did not specify the details of the altered route.
