Jordanian king warns in phone call with Biden of 'hostile actions' in Jerusalem By Reuters
(Reuters) – Jordan's King Abdullah, in a phone call on Monday with US President Joe Biden, warned of what he called “hostile actions” by Israeli settlers against the Palestinians and “joint actions” that threaten the status of Jerusalem's holy sites.
His Majesty King Abdullah Hashemite is the custodian of the holy sites of Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem. Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no change in policy regarding the holy site of Jerusalem for Muslims, after a cabinet minister said Jews could pray there.
This site, in the walled Old City of Jerusalem, houses the third holiest mosque in Islam, the Al-Aqsa mosque, and is also revered in Judaism as the Temple Mount, a remnant of two ancient temples.
Under a decades-old “status quo” arrangement with Muslim authorities, Israel allows Jews to visit but refrain from praying. The area is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and suggestions that Israel could change laws on religious observance there have led to violence in the past.
“The king warned against the violence of the brutal Palestinian settlers against the Palestinians, and the collective actions of Israel that undermine the chances of peace and look at the history and law of the holy sites of Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem, which may escalate the violence in the region,” the Jordanian royal court said in a statement.
King Abdullah also discussed with Biden the need to de-escalate the situation in the region and “establish complete calm to prevent regional war,” the royal court said.
