House speaker, emir of Qatar reaffirm support for King’s custodianship in Jerusalem, Palestinian cause

AMMAN — President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU) and Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Wednesday delivered a message on behalf of His Majesty King Abdullah to the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, expressing his well-wishes to the emir and his people. 

The Qatari emir hosted Tarawneh on the sidelines of the closing proceedings of the International Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) 140th session, held in Doha.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the Qatari emir reaffirmed the importance of uniting Arab efforts in support of the Palestinian cause, reiterating his country’s support of Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites.

For his part, Tarawneh stated that the Palestinian cause is nearing “a crossroads that requires united efforts”.

He also pointed to the role of parliamentary officials in “building bridges of cooperation and unity in support of the Palestinian cause at various international forums”.

“Jordanians stand behind His Majesty King Abdullah, united in defending the Palestinian cause and protecting Jerusalem, starting with the Hashemite Custodianship of the city’s Christian and Muslim holy sites,” Tarawneh concluded.

According to Petra, Tarawneh participated at the IPU session in his capacity as head of a Jordanian parliamentary delegation comprised of seven MPs and two senators.