Palestinian ambassador praises King Abdullah’s ‘consistent’ support

AMMAN — Palestine’s Ambassador to Jordan Atallah Khairy on Saturday praised His Majesty King Abdullah’s "firm, unaltered and supportive" stances for the Palestinian people and their just and legitimate rights, mainly their right to establish an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Khairy, on behalf of the Palestinian people and leadership, praised the King's assurances and statements affirming Jordan's support for the Palestinian people in restoring their just and legitimate rights.

The diplomat said that His Majesty's statements express his "consistent and principled" positions towards the Palestinian cause and Palestinians' rights.

Khairy pointed out that the Palestinian people and their leadership values the King's "brotherly and strong" stances since assuming his constitutional powers over 20 years ago.

His Majesty defends the Palestinian cause, which occupies a priority on his agenda, and takes a "remarkable" place in all of the King's meetings, contacts and speeches, he said.

King Abdullah also works towards achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region and restoring the rights of the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian envoy also valued His Majesty's reiteration to continue exerting all efforts to protect Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites, based on the Hashemite custodianship.

In this regard, the diplomat stressed that the Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites preserves sanctities and their Islamic, Christian, Arab and Palestinian religious identity, and protects them against attempts of Judaisation.

Referring to the "deep-rooted" Jordanian-Palestinian relations, he highlighted joint keenness to develop ties and increase cooperation in all fields, lauding Jordan’s "several important" facilitations to the Palestinian people in various fields.