Published: 2017-07-29 12:36
Last Updated: 2024-04-25 13:52
King Abdullah has expressed his appreciation to U.S. President Donald Trump and the US administration for helping restore the status quo at the Al Aqsa compound and defuse escalating tensions between Palestinians and Israeli forces.
In a tweet last night, the King also emphasised the importance of coordination between Jordan and the US.
Appreciate @POTUS, US administration active engagement to defuse Al Haram Al Sharif crisis. Coordination remains key to avoid further crises
— عبدالله بن الحسين (@KingAbdullahII) July 28, 2017
This comes after Islamic Trust, or Waqf -- in charge of running the holy site -- confirmed Friday that all Israeli restrictions on the Al Aqsa compound have been lifted and gates opened for worshipers of all ages.
Earlier in the day, deadly clashes took place across the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip in protest of continued Israeli-imposed restrictions on Al-Aqsa Mosque, following a two-week civil disobedience campaign to demand the removal of Israeli security measures at the holy site.
As tensions intensified over the last two weeks, the White House held talks with Israel, Jordan, Palestine and other entities in the Arab world in an effort to find a solution to the Al Aqsa crisis and prevent escalation of violence.
According to Haaretz, Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, were involved in talks regarding the Al Aqsa crisis. Kushner was reportedly working on a solution alongside the U.S. envoy to the peace process, Jason Greenblatt, the U.S. ambassador in Tel Aviv, David Friedman, and the U.S. consul-general in Jerusalem, Donald Blome.
While relative stability has been restored, Israel continues to restrict millions of Palestinians from accessing the holy site through its illegal annexation of East Jerusalem, occupation of the West Bank and 10-year siege on Gaza.