Jordan King Abdullah: Muslims have duty to protect Islamic, Christian holy sites from Israel persecution

Jordanian King Abdullah has called on Muslims to protect the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, stating that it is part of their duty to do so.

Speaking to a Palestinian delegation – led by Palestinian Authority (PA) President, Mahmoud Abbas – which visited him in the Jordanian capital, Amman, yesterday, King Abdullah “stressed that it is the duty of every Muslim to deter Israeli escalations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem,” according to a statement by the Royal Court.

Reaffirming the Hashemite Kingdom’s custodial guardianship of the Islamic sites, such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, as well as the relationship with Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, King Abdullah assured the delegation that “We will always be with you and you will overcome all the challenges before you”.

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The King also called on the “international community to take a stand against the exclusionary and racist statements made recently by some Israeli officials”, highlighting the “displacement of Christians, as well as the repeated attacks on churches, religious figures and Christian property in Jerusalem.”

The Jordanian monarch also reiterated his and the Kingdom’s commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, emphasising the need to maintain Palestinians’ right to self-determination in efforts to improve humanitarian and economic conditions in the West Bank.

PA President Abbas, for his part, said that Palestinians will “continue their resistance of the occupation, in pursuit of their legitimate rights”.

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