The Times of Israel:
Palestinian leader and Jordanian king agree to ‘defend’ the Israeli capital’s holy sites, both Christian and Muslim
By Yifa Yaakov and AP
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II have signed an agreement to “defend Jerusalem and its holy sites,” the Ma’an news agency reported on Sunday afternoon.
Abbas flew to Amman on Sunday to discuss religious issues with the Jordanian king, in a meeting attended by the religious affairs ministers of both the Palestinian Authority and Jordan.
Ma’an quoted Palestinian Authority Religious Affairs Minister Mahmoud al-Habash as saying that Abbas and Abdullah discussed ways to coordinate in order to protect religious sites in Jerusalem — both Christian and Muslim.
The agreement, he said, confirmed both Jordan’s role as protector of the city’s holy sites and “Palestinian sovereignty over all of Palestine, including its capital East Jerusalem.”
A statement from Jordan’s royal palace confirmed that Abbas has committed to a special Jordanian role in caring for holy shrines in Jerusalem.
The move is symbolic — Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel recognizes Jordan’s role as custodian of Christian and Muslim shrines in the city, which Israel captured from the kingdom in the Six-Day War.
The Palestinians still have no official say on Jerusalem. The fate of the city and its shrines is to be determined in final status talks with Israel, which broke down two years ago.
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Israel, Jordan, Palestine