Jordan: No peace without solving Palestinian cause

By Laith al-Junaidi

AMMAN (AA) – King Abdullah II of Jordan said Saturday peace and security cannot be realized without solving the decades-long Palestinian problem.

"The Palestinian cause is central to Jordan, and we continue to stand alongside our Palestinian brethren with all our power and capabilities as they seek to gain their just and legitimate rights,” King Abdullah said in an interview with the official Petra News Agency.

The monarch said Amman will continue to shoulder its responsibility towards "safeguarding and maintaining Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem”.

The Jordanian Waqf Ministry oversees Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque - along with the Palestinian-run Waqf Department - under international law as the last authority that was supervising Jerusalem before the Israeli occupation in June 1967.

Jordan will "utilize all capabilities to preserve and protect [Jerusalem's] Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity", King Abdullah said.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara