Leaders reportedly to focus on reducing pressures surrounding flashpoint Jerusalem holy site that threatens to spark a wider conflict and hurt ties between Israel and Jordan
Jordan’s King Abdullah II is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House later this week, according to media reports Monday, with tensions over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem expected to be high on the agenda.
The two leaders were set to discuss bilateral relations, as well as the recent flareups between Israel and the Palestinians in Jerusalem, especially surrounding the Temple Mount compound, and efforts to de-escalate tensions in the city, according to sources quoted by the Walla news site.
Sources quoted by the Dubai-based Al Arabiya news site said the Hashemite monarch was also set to meet with top American officials in Washington, including a congressional delegation led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Abdullah’s meeting with Biden also was set to come as the US president himself was set to travel to Israel next month, with Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reporting that he is considering visiting East Jerusalem during the visit.
The report said the proposal had come up during the preparatory meetings held ahead of the trip, but has not been finalized. If he did he would not be accompanied by Israeli officials.
The report noted that previous Democrat presidents have refrained from visiting East Jerusalem.
Former US President Donald Trump shifted US policy recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the whole city and shifting the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. Trump visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.
However, CNN reported that if Biden does go it will be to the al-Makassed hospital, which largely serves Palestinians.
Abdullah, who has been in the US for several days, met on Monday with religious figures in New York to discuss the situation in Jerusalem, according to a statement from the royal court.
“The King reiterated that the Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem is an honor and a responsibility that helps preserve the unity of all churches, and—more importantly—unity among the Muslim and Christian communities,” the statement read.
“The King reaffirmed Jordan’s commitment to the principles of interfaith harmony and dialogue, as well as moderation and openness, underscoring the promotion of peace and stability as pillars of Jordan’s foreign policy.”
Jordan, which ruled the West Bank and East Jerusalem from 1948 until the 1967 Six-Day War, has long maintained that its treaties with Israel grant it custodianship over Jerusalem’s Christian and Muslim holy sites; while Israel has never accepted this claim, it grants day-to-day administration of the Temple Mount to the Jordan-funded Waqf.
Known as Haram al-Sharif or the Al-Aqsa complex to Muslims, the Temple Mount is Judaism’s holiest site and Islam’s third holiest.
It has long been a flashpoint for violence and conflict, with tensions again surging in recent weeks with Palestinian riots, clashes with the Israel Police, and extremist Jewish attempts to pray on the Temple Mount.
Tensions on the holy site have reverberated into terror attacks, pressure with Israel’s allies, threats from Hamas, and the exacerbation of the ongoing coalition crisis.
The clashes have also led to escalating diplomatic tensions between Israel and Jordan.
Abdullah has condemned Israel for the clashes, slamming the state for allowing Jewish pilgrims to enter the site and calling on the Israeli government to respect “the historical and legal status quo” there, according to a statement from the Royal Hashemite Court.
During a phone call last month with Biden, Abdullah stressed the importance of respecting the Al-Aqsa Mosque and noted that his country will continue to take necessary action to protect Jerusalem’s holy sites.
During their meeting last July, which marked Biden’s first official meeting with a Middle Eastern ally, the US president said he supported the “position of Jordan as protector of the holy sites in Jerusalem.” He added: “You have always been there for us and we’ll always be there for Jordan,” noting that the Middle East was a “rough neighborhood.”
As reported by The Times of Israel