Report: Israeli claims on Jewish shrines in Jordan

The Jordanian paper al-Bilad on Monday reported Israeli claims on holy shrines for Jews in Jordan especially in Petra and Neibu mountain near Ma'daba.

The paper said that following the signing of Wadi Araba agreement between Jordan and Israel, a influx of Israeli tourists has come to Jordan.

Israeli extremists carried out certain religious rituals in one of Petra mountains under the pretext that the tomb of Prophet Haroun (brother of Prophet Moses) is in this area.

The paper added that some of those extremists bury ancient currencies, and clay and copper instruments at the site in a secret way and then come back after a while to unearth them as proof of their claims.

The paper added that the second place which also a religious destination for the Jews is Neibu mountain near Ma'daba where those Jews claim that Moses is buried. The paper added that some Israelis try to perpetuate their presence in certain Jordanian areas in which they claim to have a history through trying to buy land in these sites via middle men. It added that these attempts were completely foiled being totally rejected by Jordanian citizens.

The paper explained that in most visits the Jewish tourism groups are accompanied by a rabbi who explains what has been stated in Jewish books concerning these sites.

The paper asserted that Jordanian citizens who live near these sites expressed their fears about the objectives behind these visits and "Zionist's" control of world media and their ability to distort facts and fabricate lies as the case was with Palestine.