Jordan’s King Abdullah, accompanied by crown prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II recently attended a celebration at Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Amman held by churches in Jordan on the occasions of Christmas and the New Year. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, church leaders from Jordan and Jerusalem and representatives of the Jerusalem awqaf, attended the celebration, organised by the Council of Church Leaders in Jordan. King Abdullah extended his best wishes to Jordanians, Palestinians and all Arab Christians on this occasion.
During the ceremony, representatives of the Jerusalem churches and awqaf delivered remarks that highlighted Christmas as an occasion to celebrate peace and love, and an opportunity to promote the importance of living in harmony. They reiterated that Jordan, under the leadership of its king, will remain steadfast in defending Jerusalem and its holy sites, stressing the importance of the Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem as a continuation of the Pact of Omar. They stressed that there is no alternative to the two-state solution to achieve peace, in which East Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Palestine. They expressed appreciation for the king’s donation of a large part of the Templeton Prize, received by him recently, for the restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The speakers also commended the King’s efforts that resulted in a set of UNESCO resolutions supporting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to Al Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem.
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