Jordan speaks the loudest in defence of Palestine — King

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday met with a group of journalists, including the editors-in-chief of local newspapers, columnists and the president of the Jordan Press Association, a Royal Court statement said.

During the meeting, at Al Husseiniya Palace, the King discussed the latest crisis of Al Aqsa Mosque/ Al Haram Al Sharif, the efforts to reopen the shrine, restoring calm and ensuring respect of the historical and legal status quo of the holy compound.

His Majesty praised the persistence and determination of Jerusalemites, stressing the unified  Jordanian-Palestinian stand in dealing with the crisis.

The King highlighted the role of the Islamic Awqaf Department in Jerusalem, which is affiliated with Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, describing it as a key contributor to restoring calm, according to the statement.

He said that the Palestinian issue and Jerusalem are the first priority for Jordan, which will continue honouring its historical role in protecting the Muslim and Christian holy places in Jerusalem.

On all occasions, the King said, he promotes the Palestinian cause and the need to protect Jerusalem in all his international activities, stressing that there is no party that advocates the cause more earnestly than Jordan, as “we carry out our historical, political and legal responsibilities and stand against Judaisation of the holy shrines despite the magnitude and the complexity of challenges," the King said.

He stressed the importance of coordination among all stakeholders to ensure the preservation of the status quo.

As for the Israeli embassy incident in Amman, in which two Jordanians were killed, the Monarch reiterated that Jordan will not give up on the rights of Jordanians, adding that the Kingdom will devote all efforts to make sure that justice is served.

“I wonder about the absence of former officials, who have  had no voice at the time of crises,’’ King Abdullah said.

The meeting also touched on the ceasefire agreement in the south of Syria, which has been recently reached by Jordan, the US and Russia.

“The features of the conflict have become clearer and there are positive signs,” His Majesty said.

He said that he is optimistic about the situation in Iraq and reopening its border crossing with Jordan this year.

During the meeting, various other local and regional issues were discussed, such as the expected objective and professional media performance, the importance of improving media tools, especially social media, to be up-to-date to ensure swift news delivery to ultimately enhance trust between citizens and institutions.

In this regard, His Majesty said that doubting the military and security agencies is not acceptable and nobody will be allowed to be “louder” than those institutions, adding that the armed forces are also a “red line”.

For their part, the meeting’s attendees highlighted the role of Jordan, under His Majesty’s leadership, in solving the mosque’s crisis, appreciating the King’s keenness on protecting the rights of Jordanians.