Jordan’s King Says Muslims Have ‘Duty to Deter Israeli Escalation’ in Jerusalem

Jordan’s King Abdullah II mentioned Sunday that Muslims have an obligation to “safeguard” Jerusalem’s holy websites, in a gathering in Amman with Muslim and Christian spiritual leaders from the occupied metropolis, The New Arab reported.

An announcement from the royal courtroom mentioned the king informed the delegation, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, that Jordan “will at all times be with you”, which is the custodian of Jerusalem’s holy websites.

“It’s the obligation of each Muslim to discourage Israeli escalations towards… holy websites in Jerusalem,” the king mentioned in response to the assertion.

The assembly follows excessive tensions with the Israeli authorities, notably after current remarks by the extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denying the existence of the Palestinian folks.

Throughout Sunday’s assembly the Jordanian king “referred to as on the worldwide group to take a stand towards the exclusionary and racist statements made lately by some Israeli officers”, the assertion mentioned.

This yr has seen an uptick in violence towards Palestinians, with at the least 94 killed in 2023 alone.

King Abdullah touted a longtime dedication to preserving “peace and concord” at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound – Islam’s third holiest web site which Jordan administers however is the goal of normal stormings by Israeli extremists.

King Abdullah hailed “Jerusalemites’… efforts to safeguard” the holy websites and “harassed the necessity to cease the displacement of Christians, in addition to the repeated assaults on church buildings, spiritual figures and Christian property in Jerusalem”, in response to the assertion.

Christian holy websites in Jerusalem have additionally witnessed a worrying rise in assaults by Israeli extremists.

On Friday, church leaders in Jerusalem appealed to the Israeli authorities to make sure Christians can worship freely throughout Easter and its run-up, expressing concern at mounting violence and acts of desecration over the previous yr.

(The New Arab, PC)