Jerusalem is Palestinian, custodianship is Hashemite, Safadi tells Arab peers

AMMAN — Jordan on Sunday reiterated that the Palestinian issue remains its central cause.

During the extraordinary meeting of the Arab League at the level of foreign ministers in Cairo, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi expressed the Kingdom’s unaltered stances towards realising a comprehensive peace through the path adopted by Arab countries to meet all the rights of the Palestinians, a ministry statement said.

Palestine had called for the meeting to discuss the challenges to the Palestinian cause, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivering a comprehensive presentation about the latest developments in the cause.

Safadi said that Palestinians have the right to freedom and statehood on their national soil with East Jerusalem as a capital, as stipulated in international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. 

The Kingdom will keep employing all its powers to support Palestinians and their legitimate rights, the minister stressed.

He also warned against the dangerous conditions in the Palestinian territories, calling for intensifying joint Arab action and communication with the international community to reach a political outlook to end the Israeli occupation and establish the independent Palestinian state.

Jordan will continue utilising all its efforts to safeguard Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites under the directions of His Majesty King Abdullah, the custodian over these sites, the minister highlighted.

Safadi added that His Majesty spares no effort in maintaining the Islamic and Christian Arab identity of the sanctuaries and preserving their historical and legal status quo. 

“Sovereignty over Jerusalem is Palestinian and the custodianship over its holy sites is Hashemite, yet defending the city, its identity and legal status is a Jordanian, Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and international responsibility,” the minister stressed.

Jerusalem is the key to peace and attempts to tamper with its holy sites constitute a threat to world peace and security, he added.

Safadi highlighted the importance of adopting effective steps to help the Palestinian Authority face its financial crisis, calling for an action mechanism to implement the outcomes of the meeting.

While in Cairo, Safadi met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri over means to develop bilateral relations and the latest regional developments, mainly in the Palestinian arena. 

The ministers also agreed to cooperate with Iraq to follow up on the outcomes of the Jordanian-Egyptian-Iraqi trilateral summit that Cairo hosted in March, which focused on boosting trilateral cooperation in all fields, according to a second ministry statement.