Jordan tells U.N. ready to stop further Israeli raids on holy site

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Jordan complained to the United Nations Security Council about a raid by Israeli security forces on Wednesday on a sacred compound in Jerusalem housing the Al Aqsa mosque and said it would "take lawful steps and measures" to stop further attacks. Tensions over the compound, the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest place in Judaism, have fueled daily clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in Jerusalem in recent weeks. In a letter to the Security Council, Jordan called on the 15-member body to hold Israel accountable for the raid, which it said had sparked fires that damaged ceiling mosaics and carpet in the Haram al-Sharif compound, also known as Temple Mount. Australian Ambassador Gary Quinlan, president of the council this month, told reporters that he also received letters from the Israeli and Palestinian missions about the recent violence. Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel in protest at an increase in Israeli "violations." "This is without prejudice to any further lawful steps and measures that Jordan will be taking to stop Israeli attacks against the Haram al-Sharif," Jordan's U.N. Ambassador Dina Kawar wrote in the letter to the council that was obtained by Reuters. "Such counter measures and steps will be notified to the Security Council as appropriate," said Kawar. Jordan is a member of the council for 2014-15. Kawar called on the Security Council to consider steps that could be taken to stop further violations by Israel that "if allowed to proceed will lead to another crisis threatening international peace and security in the Middle East." Jordan's King Abdullah is custodian of the compound, a role recognized in a 1994 peace treaty with Israel. The compound, which also houses the Dome of the Rock, is run by Jordanian government employees. Jews are not allowed to pray there. Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammad rose to heaven from the 7th-century Dome of the Rock. Jews revere the hilltop in Jerusalem's walled Old City as Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest place, where two Biblical temples once stood. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Ken Wills)