Jordan: King Abdullah to visit occupied West Bank in bid to ease tension during Ramadan

Jordan’s King Abdullah II is to visit the occupied West Bank in bid to prevent possible tension during the holy month of Ramadan, Arab48.com reported on Monday. The monarch will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit, which will take place before the start of the fasting month.

Both Israel and the US have expressed their fear that the occurrence of different religious holidays during Ramadan will increase tension. According to one PA official quoted by the Kan public broadcaster, though, nothing has been seen on the ground in terms of Israeli efforts to reduce tension.

“We are not interested in escalation, but Israel is pushing for this,” he added. “If Israel wants to prevent friction, it should stop settlers from desecrating Al-Aqsa Mosque throughout the holy month of Ramadan.”

Given the fact that a number of religious holidays come together during Ramadan, the official suggested that Israel should “let Jews pray in the areas allocated for them and leave Al-Aqsa Mosque to Muslims all the time during the fasting month.”

Kan said that this is the message that King Abdullah is expected to hear in Ramallah, and noted that this message was passed to the Israeli authorities.

Earlier this month, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with King Abdullah and said, “We agreed that we must work together to calm tensions and promote understanding, particularly in the lead-up to the month of Ramadan and Passover.”

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