A ministerial meeting hosted by Jordan on Wednesday marked a significant diplomatic effort to return the Palestinian issue to the forefront of the international agenda, at a time when regional crises—including recent tensions involving Iran and the United States—have largely dominated global attention.
Jordan convened the meeting amid continued Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, including settlement expansion, increased incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. Amman has repeatedly warned that such policies pose a serious threat to regional security and stability.
The final communiqué issued by the Arab Ministerial Committee, which met in Amman, focused on what it described as violations targeting Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. It rejected Israeli measures aimed at altering the historic and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and stressed the need to uphold international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
Israel responded swiftly. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement rejecting the committee’s declaration, describing its claims as “false accusations” and a “distortion of historical facts.” The ministry argued that the statement ignored what Israel considers the Jewish people’s historical connection to Jerusalem and defended Israeli policies, saying they preserve freedom of worship and maintain the existing status quo.
The speed of Israel’s response underscored the sensitivity surrounding diplomatic initiatives that place renewed international attention on the Palestinian issue, particularly at a time when much of the international community has been focused on other regional conflicts while developments continue in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Jordan, as the custodian of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites under the Hashemite Custodianship, has consistently maintained in international forums that protecting the holy sites and preserving the city’s historic and legal status is a fundamental priority. Amman also argues that any unilateral Israeli measures aimed at changing that status violate international law and undermine prospects for peace.
The Jordanian initiative reflects the Kingdom’s continued diplomatic efforts to keep the Palestinian issue on the international agenda and to emphasize that the world’s attention to other regional crises should not overshadow the ongoing situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in Jerusalem and at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
