Amman, Aug. 5 (Petra) -- Members of the Senate said on Wednesday that His Majesty King Abdullah II's positions reflect the kingdom's longstanding commitment to defending Jerusalem and its Muslim and Christian holy sites, while continuing to work with Arab partners and the international community to protect the city's identity and historical heritage.

In statements to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), the senators said the king's call for a unified Arab and Islamic position to safeguard Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque represents a Jordanian initiative aimed at rallying international support in response to what they described as Israel's illegal measures in the holy city.

Omar Razzaz, chairman of the Senate's Arab, International, and Expatriate Affairs Committee, said His Majesty King Abdullah's meeting with members of the Arab Ministerial Committee tasked with mobilizing international action in response to illegal Israeli policies and actions in the occupied city of Jerusalem reaffirmed Jordan's longstanding commitment to protecting Jerusalem's Muslim and Christian holy sites.

He said the king stressed that confronting repeated Israeli violations requires an effective and unified Arab and Islamic position, particularly as the occupying authorities seek to exploit regional crises through settlement expansion and land annexation.

Razzaz said the meeting was especially significant because it drew international attention to continued developments in Jerusalem while reinforcing collective solidarity.

He added that the king's positions demonstrate Jordan's unwavering commitment to defending Jerusalem and its holy sites and to working with regional and international partners to preserve the city's Arab identity and cultural heritage.

He said the Hashemite Custodianship would remain a symbol of Jordan's historical responsibility, carried out under the Hashemite leadership in defense of the holy sites and in support of what he described as the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

Khawla Al-Armouti, chair of the Senate's Women Committee, said the Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem's Muslim and Christian holy sites reflects a longstanding historical responsibility rooted in a continuous commitment to protecting the city's identity and preserving its holy places.

She said King Abdullah reaffirmed that the custodianship represents a historical and religious trust and remains a cornerstone for safeguarding the sanctity of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and Christian holy sites against attempts to alter their historical and legal status.

Al-Armouti said the king also stressed the need to unify Arab efforts and strengthen joint positions to halt what she described as unprecedented and illegal Israeli measures targeting the historical and legal status of Jerusalem's holy sites.

She added that Jordan, under His Majesty King Abdullah's leadership, continues to fulfill its historical role in defending Jerusalem through the Hashemite Custodianship, which she described as a safeguard for preserving the city's religious and humanitarian significance.

According to Al-Armouti, the king has consistently maintained that protecting Jerusalem is a collective responsibility requiring Arab unity and coordinated action to confront Israeli measures, protect Palestinian rights, and achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Ali Al-Ayed, rapporteur of the Senate's Arab, International, and Expatriate Affairs Committee, said the king's call for a unified Arab and Islamic position to protect Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque reflects Jordan's efforts to mobilize international support against Israeli actions in the city.

He noted that the king reaffirmed Jordan's continued historical and legal role in safeguarding Jerusalem's Muslim and Christian holy sites under the Hashemite Custodianship, while warning against attempts to alter the city's identity through settlement expansion and other measures that threaten regional stability.

Al-Ayed welcomed the outcome of the ministerial meeting held in Amman, saying it reflected the king's vision and Jordan's consistent position in favor of coordinated Arab, Islamic, and international efforts to protect Jerusalem, halt escalation, and safeguard Muslim and Christian holy sites.

Hayel Obeidat, rapporteur of the Senate's Palestine Committee, said the Hashemite Custodianship dates back to the 1917 pledge of allegiance to Sharif Hussein bin Ali and was reinforced by the first Hashemite restoration campaign in Jerusalem in 1924, which established Jordan's historical role in caring for and defending the city's Muslim and Christian holy sites.

He said that role has continued throughout successive Hashemite eras and was reaffirmed in the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty and the 2013 agreement between His Majesty King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Obeidat said the Hashemite restoration of Jerusalem's holy sites has continued for more than a century, beginning with restoration work on the Dome of the Rock in 1924 under the supervision of Emir Abdullah, later King Abdullah I, followed by subsequent restoration phases during the reign of the late King Hussein bin Talal and continuing today through the Hashemite Fund for the Restoration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

He said His Majesty King Abdullah continues to use regional and international platforms to defend the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem, mobilize Arab, Islamic, and international support, and oppose attempts to alter the city's identity, drawing on the Hashemite legacy and what he described as its historical and religious legitimacy.

Obeidat said the Hashemite Custodianship has become an internationally recognized model for protecting holy sites, adding that it represents not only a historical legacy but also an enduring humanitarian and moral responsibility undertaken by His Majesty King Abdullah to preserve Jerusalem's Arab identity and sanctity and one that enjoys broad respect among national, Islamic, and Christian institutions.

//Petra// AF