Reviving peace hopes

His Majesty King Abdullah held a meeting on Sunday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Aqaba, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein.

During the meeting, held within the framework of ongoing Jordanian-Palestinian coordination and consultation, His Majesty reaffirmed Jordan’s full support for the Palestinian people, as they seek their just and legitimate rights for an independent, sovereign, and viable state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The King underscored the importance of preserving the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem, expressing Jordan’s rejection of all unilateral measures aimed at altering the city’s identity or religious sites, and attempts to impose spatial or temporal divisions in Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif.

His Majesty said Jordan will persist in undertaking its historic and religious role in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in the city, in line with the Hashemite Custodianship.

The meeting with Abbas follows His Majesty’s letter to Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People Cheikh Niang, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, marked annually on November 29.

In the letter, King Abdullah reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause, and the importance of continuing to strive towards achieving a just and comprehensive peace, accepted by all peoples and in accordance with international law and UN resolutions.

Despite the challenges wrought by the coronavirus crisis against the backdrop of a regional turmoil, Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty, has not waived one iota in its defence of the Palestinian cause.

Time after time, Jordan has brought to the conscience of the international community the plight of the Palestinians under the Israeli occupation, reminding world leaders that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the root cause of the region’s conflicts.

With the arrival of a new president at the White House, hopes are high that the moribund peace process will gain steam. The Arab streets are pinning their hopes on the new US administration under Joe Biden. 

A just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is long overdue, and Jordan is doing all at its disposal to realise the legitimate rights of the Palestinians.