Jordanian monarch: we will confront Israel's policies in Jerusalem

Jordan will continue to address Israel’s violent unilateral policies in occupied Jerusalem and protect Christian and Muslim holy sites in the city “until peace returns to the land”, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said yesterday.

During his Speech from the Throne in the Jordanian National Assembly, King Abdullah said: “The Palestinian issue is first and foremost an issue of Jordanian national security and the blood of our martyrs in the holy land is a trust that must remain within the depths of our conscience.”

He pledged that Jordan will continue to do its part as a member of the UN Security Council and as a representative of the Arab and Islamic worlds by continuing to rally international efforts towards rebuilding Gaza after Israel’s offensive last July and August.

The Jordanian monarch called for the resumption of the negotiations and the establishment of a peace agreement based on the two-state solution, one that would allow the Palestinians to have their own viable state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The city of Jerusalem is experiencing daily clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protestors due to Israel’s settlement expansion in the city and the closure of Al-Aqsa mosque on Thursday.