Safadi, Erekat stress unified stance of Jordan, Palestine

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's (PLO) executive committee, on Monday stressed the unified Jordanian-Palestinian stance on the Palestinian cause.

This stance emphasises that the only road to comprehensive peace is one that meets all the Palestinians’ legitimate rights, foremost of which is the right of the Palestinian people to freedom and an independant Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the two officials said. 

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Safadi and Erekat reaffirmed the cohesion of Jordanian-Palestinian efforts that seek to protect Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites. 

“The protection of Muslim and Christian holy sites is a priority under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah, who has devoted everything at the Kingdom’s disposal to preserve Jerusalem’s Arab, Muslim and Christian identities, its holy sites and their historical and legal status quo,” Safadi reiterated. 

Safadi and Erekat also reviewed the latest developments in relation to the Bab Al Rahmah (Gate of Mercy) building at Al Aqsa Mosque and the efforts being made to protect it as an integral part of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif.

The foreign minister stressed Jordan’s utter rejection of the Israeli court’s decision to close Bab Al Rahmah and any steps taken in attempt to change its legal and historical status. 

He added that Jordan does not recognise the legitimacy of the Israeli court in East Jerusalem, pointing out that the Jerusalem Awqaf Department is the only authority with jurisdiction to manage Al Haram Al Sharif in accordance with international law, according to the statement. 

Erekat expressed his appreciation, on behalf of the Palestinian state, for the “King’s efforts, as the patron of Christian and Muslim holy sites, in protecting the Arab-Islamic identity of Jerusalem’s holy sites, and his efforts to protect Bab Al Rahmah to preserve its historical status”.

Furthermore, Safadi and Erekat agreed to continue coordination and negotiation in fulfilment of the King and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ directives. 

They highlighted the importance of maintaining cooperation between Jordan and Palestine in pursuit of a peace that restores the rights of the Palestinians to freedom and statehood, in accordance with a two-state solution, international legislation and the Arab Peace Initiative, the statement added.