A delegation comprising Islamic and Christian religious leaders from the Councils of Awqaf and Churches of Jerusalem concluded a visit to Britain, during which it held meetings with government officials, parliamentarians, representatives of Islamic and Christian intellectual and religious sectors, and cultural and media institutions. The visit, organized by the Jordanian Embassy in London and the Hashemite Fund for the Reconstruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, aimed at highlighting the importance of Jerusalem and its religious and historical status, and the Hashemite Custodianship role in preserving Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. The delegation concluded its visit to the United Kingdom by meeting with representatives of Arab newspapers and media outlets at the Jordanian Embassy in London, where members of the delegation gave a briefing on its meetings with the British side, and illegal daily Israeli practices in Jerusalem, settler attacks on holy places and their religious sanctity, and spreading an exclusionary and racist Judaizing narrative. The delegation warned of the seriousness of the decrease in the number of Christians in the Holy City due to Israeli practices, urging Israel to respect the existing legal and historical situation and stop attempts to change the Arab, Islamic, Christian identity of the Holy City. The delegation called for preventing the situation from exploding as a result of these violations and the policy of continuous incitement by religious Zionist extremists. During the meeting, the delegation stressed the importance of the Jordanian role in preserving the Islamic and Christian holy sites in terms of the Hashemite Custodianship over them, which preserved the legal and historical status quo in the Holy City for more than a hundred years. The Hashemite Custodianship is a “safety valve for Christians and Muslims,” the delegation emphasized. The delegation highlighted the Hashemite reconstruction efforts of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock since the era of Sharif Hussein bin Ali in 1924, up to the era of His Majesty King Abdullah. The delegation expressed its concern over the escalating and continuous Israeli violations that threaten churches, especially in Jerusalem, due to the increasing attacks on them by Israeli settlers. The delegation warned of an “existential threat to the Christian religion in its infancy” due to the increasing decrease in the number of Christians in the lands of Jerusalem as a result of Israeli practices that attempt to steal all Christian and Islamic property alike through many methods, including imposing heavy taxes on churches under penalty of appropriation by Israel. The delegation also warned of the consequences of the Israeli violations after the year 2000 and the repeated calls for the demolition of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque and the undermining of the status quo in Jerusalem. It emphasized that the Jordanian role was important in confronting Israeli practices at the international level and in preserving the existing legal and historical status in the holy sites. For his part, the Jordanian ambassador to London, Manar Dabbas, said that the visit aims to brief the British side on the Israeli measures that may lead to a possible escalation in light of the presence of extremist members in the Israeli government. He warned of the consequences of the escalation from the Israeli side, which would affect the entire region and the world, given the sanctity of Jerusalem for all Muslims and Christians.
Source: Jordan News Agency