PLO commends King’s efforts to safeguard Al Aqsa

RAMALLAH — The Palestinian Authority is working with Jordan to ensure that the status quo of Jerusalem is restored, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday.

At a meeting of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in Ramallah, Abbas said restoring the status quo is aimed at protecting holy sites in Jerusalem from Israeli settlers’ continued acts of aggression. 

Abbas said the status quo ensures that Al Aqsa Mosque is under the authority of the Islamic Awqaf Department in Jerusalem and that all Palestinians are granted entry to Al Haram Al Sharif.

In a statement released Wednesday, the PLO executive committee commended His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts to defend Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, stressing the importance of respecting the sanctity of the 144-dunum site, in its entirety. 

The PLO condemned the practices of the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, urging Jerusalemites to stand firm against Israel’s threats and pressures.  

Abbas rejected the new conditions that Israel is trying to impose at Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine, reiterating calls for providing international protection to the Palestinian people