'Jordan rejects Israeli measures to impose new reality'

AMMAN — Jordan rejects and condemns any Israeli measures that aim to impose new facts on the ground, including settlement-building and expansion, annexing the occupied Palestinian lands and changing the legal and historical status quo of Jerusalem's holy sites, as well as its Arab-Islamic and Christian identity, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Monday. 

During an extraordinary open-ended meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Executive Committee at the level of Foreign Ministers held in Jeddah to discuss the OIC's position on the US peace proposal, Safadi reiterated the Kingdom's constants regarding the Palestinian cause and the conditions for achieving peace, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

For His Majesty King Abdullah, who is Custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, the holy city is a red line, Safadi stressed, adding that protecting Jerusalem’s Arab-Islamic and Christian identity is a “trust and responsibility”.

Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, which spans a total area of ​​144,000sq.m, is a place of worship for Muslims only, in accordance with international legislation, he said, stressing that “there is no spatial or temporal division of Al Aqsa Mosque and no acceptance of any attempt to alter Al Haram’s Arab  and Islamic identity”.

Jordan stands up for rights, is committed to international law and wants a just peace on the basis of a two-state solution, which ensures the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, the foreign minister noted.

“Comprehensive peace is the sort that people believe in and protect,” he said. 

Highlighting King Abdullah’s efforts in championing the Palestinian cause, Safadi reaffirmed the Kingdom’s support for Palestinians to tangibly achieve their legitimate rights.  

The cause of Palestinian refugees must be solved in accordance with international legislation and the Arab Peace Initiative to guarantee their rights of return and compensation, he added, highlighting the necessity of continuing to politically and financially support UNRWA.