Minister Jumana Ghuneimat was pictured last week stepping on Israeli flag when entering trade union complex in Amman.

Israel says it has filed a complaint to Jordan over a picture of a Jordanian government minister stepping on an image of the Israeli flag.

Jumana Ghuneimat, minister of state for information, was pictured last week stepping on the flag design when entering a meeting at a trade union complex in Amman. Footprints were also printed on the flag design.

The image of the flag has been affixed to the floor at the entrance to the complex for several years to protest against Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and Jordan’s normalised ties with Israel, union officials say.

Israel called Jordan’s ambassador in for clarifications on Sunday, the foreign ministry said.

Ghuneimat has not yet responded to the controversy [Anfre Pain/EPA]

Majed Qatarneh, spokesman of Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, confirmed that Israel had sought clarifications over the incident and the ministry was handling the issue through “diplomatic channels”.

“The Israeli side was informed that the building is a private one and the minister entered it from the main entrance for an official meeting,” he said. “We have emphasised that we respect the peace treaty with Israel.”

Jordanian Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz was reported to have entered the building through a side door.

Israel and Jordan signed a peace agreement in 1994, but relations have often been frosty amid differences over Israeli policies in Jerusalem, where Jordan is a custodian of Muslim sites, and over the Palestine issue.

The only other Arab state to have diplomatic relations with Israel is Egypt.