His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, All Palestine and Jordan Theophilos III at Al Husseiniya Palace.

Discussions at the meeting—attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammed, chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy to His Majesty—covered King Abdullah’s efforts to safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and the latest developments related to the flagrant violations committed against Church property in the occupied territories.

His Majesty affirmed Jordan’s keenness to maintain Palestinian unity in the face of all the challenges imposed by the occupation on the people of Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories, noting that Christian holy sites receive the same attention and care afforded to Islamic sites.

The King stressed Jordan’s rejection of any threat to the historical status quo in Jerusalem, which entails respect for coexistence and peace, as well as for the administrative role of the Church over its property.

Jordan, in line with the Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, will continue its efforts to safeguard these holy places, and will work to defend churches’ property at all international fora and at future UNESCO meetings, His Majesty asserted.

As the custodian, the King voiced rejection of any attempts to seize the property of Christians in East Jerusalem, stressing that they are void and must be stopped.

For his part, Patriarch Theophilos III said Christian and Muslim Jerusalemites highly appreciate the Hashemite attention given to their cause, noting that the Palestinian cause is His Majesty’s foremost concern at all Arab and international fora.

Jerusalemites also affirm their pride in His Majesty’s committed and dedicated custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, which is the safety valve to ensure their perseverance and presence in their land, he added.

The King’s efforts to safeguard Christian presence in Jerusalem continues to be the glimmer of hope that supports Jerusalemites in their perseverance, Patriarch Theophilos III continued, thanking His Majesty for supporting the Jerusalem Patriarchate as it seeks to stop Israeli violations, especially what took place recently at Jaffa Gate.

The Patriarchate, he noted, is working in cooperation with all churches to call for scrapping the proposed Israeli bill that would enable the state to seize church land.

It is also working with churches to derail settler attempts to take over real estate at Omar bin Al Khattab Square near Jaffa Gate by appealing the court ruling that had been issued in settlers’ favour, he said.

Patriarch Theophilos III also briefed His Majesty on his planned visits to a number of countries to urge them to intervene and put a stop to Israeli violations in Jerusalem and the occupied Holy Land, and to use their influence to nullify the Israeli takeover of Church property.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.