Jordan recalls ambassador to Israel after violence at Jerusalem mosque Mosque protest: a Palestinian woman shouts slogans as Israeli security forces guard Jerusalem's al-Aqsa holy site Jordan withdrew its ambassador from Israel on Wednesday after Israeli security forces clashed with Palestinians at the al-Aqsa mosque, marking an escalation - and deepening internationalisation - of tensions at the Jerusalem holy site. The Jordanian government accused Israel of taking actions that were "provocative to 1.7bn Muslims," on a day that saw unrest break out elsewhere in Jerusalem and a fatal attack in which a Palestinian driver ploughed into pedestrians, killing one and injuring others. Israeli security forces on Wednesday morning clashed with Palestinian protesters throwing rocks and launching fireworks at Haram al-Sharif, the site of al-Aqsa, where rightwing Israelis - including some members of the Knesset - are calling for a shelving of a sensitive status quo prohibiting Jewish prayer there, which has been in place since the 1967 Six-Day war. The clashes erupted as a group of extremist religious Jews, who want the agreement overturned, were waiting with other non-Muslim visitors to the site, known to Israelis as Temple Mount. The Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian religious trust that administers al-Aqsa, said Israeli security forces damaged the mosque's doors, burnt carpets and broke glass during the confrontation. Israel and Jordan, an important US ally in the region, recently marked the 20th anniversary of their peace treaty, but the pact is unpopular with the Jordanian public, more than half of whom are of Palestinian origin. Tensions have been rising over al-Aqsa, where images of clashes between Israeli police and protesters at the holy site and inside the mosque have been broadcast widely on Arab-language news channels. "This contradicts the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel," said Mohammad al-Momani, the Jordanian government spokesman. Israel must maintain the status quo and stop any raiding of Haram al-Sharif or allowing extremists to go there and practise religious practices that are provocative to Muslims. Jordan's recall of its ambassador to Israel is thought to be the first of its kind. However, in 2000-05 and again in 2010-12 the post was not filled amid tensions between the two neighbouring countries. The Waqf said two people were injured inside the mosque, and that Israeli security forces used foam-tipped bullets, stun grenades and tear gas against protesters. Later on Wednesday, a Palestinian man driving a van killed one man and injuring 13 more after driving into pedestrians, including passengers at a light rail station, in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The attack on the light rail - which runs between Jerusalem's Jewish east and Arab west - was the second in a month. The driver of the van was shot dead at the scene, and Hamas - the Islamist group that rules in Gaza - claimed responsibility for the attack. "Al-Aqsa is the detonator that will cause a volcano to erupt in Israel's face," the group's al-Qassam military wing, said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency. Israel's government has accused Hamas and other Palestinian political groups of fanning unrest in Jerusalem and around al-Aqsa. Avigdor Lieberman, the far-right foreign minister, on Wednesday accused Mahmoud Abbas of "incitement," and chastised the Palestinian president for sending a letter of condolence to a man who shot and wounded Yehudah Glick, an Israeli-American, last week. Mr Glick's Temple Institute, which wants to overturn the prohibition on Jewish prayer at the Haram al-Sharif, had called on its supporters to gather at the site on Wednesday morning. Israeli police briefly closed the site to non-Muslim visitors and then reopened it. Nir Barkat, Jerusalem's rightwing mayor, said it was "a hard day for Jerusalem." "The goal of terrorists is to disrupt our lives and to hurt and scare us," he said. On Tuesday, Mr Barkat said that unrest in the city was calming down and soon security would be "better" than it had been before tensions between Jewish and Arab residents rose in July after the revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager.