Remarks by His Majesty King Abdullah II during the Jerusalem Conference at the Arab League
Remarks by His Majesty King Abdullah II during the Jerusalem Conference at the Arab League
Cairo, Egypt
(Translated from Arabic)
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad,
Your Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi,
Your Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas,
Your Excellencies:
Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.
I thank His Excellency Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Arab League’s Secretary General, and the League’s staff for their efforts in organising this important meeting, in coordination with our Palestinian brethren, at a time when we must all step up our efforts to support the steadfastness of our brothers and sisters in the Palestinian Territories.
Your Excellencies,
The topic of our meeting today is close to the hearts of all Arabs; for Jerusalem is the First Qibla for Muslims, and our region cannot live in peace, stability, and prosperity without any progress made on the Palestinian cause.
We renew our support for our Palestinian brothers and sisters, and we call on the international community to guarantee their just and legitimate rights to establish an independent, viable, and sovereign Palestinian state, on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
We reiterate that preserving the prospects of peace, on the basis of the two-state solution, demands ceasing all Israeli violations, incursions into Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, and attempts for temporal and spatial division. Any attempt to alter the historical and legal status quo will have negative ramifications on the security and stability of the entire region.
Jordan continues to exert all efforts to safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and to proceed with maintenance and restoration projects in Al Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, under the Hashemite Custodianship, to safeguard the Arab identity of the Holy City, support the resilience of Jerusalemites, and guarantee Muslims’ and Christians’ freedom of worship.
This is the legacy of the Prophet Mohammad, as inherited by the Hashemites through my great-great-grandfather Sharif Hussein bin Ali, when he answered the call of the Palestinians, over a century ago.
Within this historical responsibility, we, in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, support our Christian brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, as they seek to protect their churches and counter violations against their holy sites. We reaffirm our commitment to the Pact of Omar, which has guaranteed harmony and coexistence in Jerusalem for over 1,400 years.
Your Excellencies,
The Palestinian cause will remain at the forefront of all Arab priorities, and we reaffirm the need to unify Arab efforts to support the steadfastness of the Palestinians in their land.
I thank the Arab League again for organising this meeting, and I wish you success in your sessions and discussions today.
Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.
