Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday said that “it is the duty of every Muslim to deter Israeli escalations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem,” according to an official statement.
The monarch made the remarks at a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman with Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas and Muslim and Christian leaders from Jerusalem.
Abdullah expressed solidarity with the delegations, saying, “We will always be with you and you will overcome all the challenges before you.”
While making no mention of Palestinian terrorist attacks that have plagued Israel’s capital in recent months, Abdullah instead took the opportunity to slam the Israeli government. He called on the international community to condemn “exclusionary and racist statements made recently by some Israeli officials,” apparently in reference to recent comments by Israeli Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denying the existence of a Palestinian people.
Ruled by the Hashemite royal family since 1921, Jordan is home to a significant population that identifies as Palestinian. According to the United Nations, more than 2 million people registered as Palestinian refugees live in the country.
For his part, Abbas praised Abdulla’s support for the Palestinian cause and said that the Palestinians would continue their “resistance against the occupation,” a common Palestinian euphemism for terrorism.
The Muslim and Christian leaders deplored what they claimed were Israeli infringements on their holy sites.
