His Majesty King Abdullah II, during a meeting with Pope Francis on Thursday, reaffirmed Jordan’s commitment to undertaking its religious and historical role in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, under the Hashemite Custodianship.
 
At the meeting held in Vatican City, His Majesty stressed the need to stop Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in Jerusalem, as well as in the West Bank, warning against the consequences of continued Israeli violations of holy sites in Jerusalem.
 
During the meeting, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, the King expressed Jordan’s commitment to safeguarding Christian holy sites, especially the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ (Bethany beyond the Jordan), located on the East Bank of the Jordan River.
 
Discussions also covered the dangerous developments in Gaza, with His Majesty stressing the need to immediately end the humanitarian catastrophe and impose a lasting ceasefire, while ensuring the delivery of sufficient aid through all possible means and without any obstruction or delay.
 
The King called on the international community to maintain support for UNRWA to enable it to provide humanitarian services in accordance with its UN mandate.
 
His Majesty reiterated that the only way to reach just and comprehensive peace is through the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.