PA-Jordan coordination takes shape in wake of Al-Aqsa crisis
One of the outcomes of a major meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah was an agreement to form a crisis committee to coordinate the positions of both countries regarding incidents at Jerusalem's holy sites.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II in Ramallah Aug. 7 has led to the formation of a joint crisis committee. The committee will be in charge of strengthening political coordination between the two countries, consolidating their positions on issues of common concern and addressing conflicts that erupt in the West Bank, most importantly the renewed crisis at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Mahmoud al-Habash, the president's adviser for religious affairs who also attended the meeting, told Al-Monitor, “The magnitude of the challenges imposed on us as Palestinians and Jordanians — most importantly the Israeli occupation’s measures in Jerusalem that affect the Jordanian guardianship of the holy sites — requires coordination between our field, political and legal positions.” He explained that the crisis committee “will include sub-committees of a high-level political nature from both sides, under the supervision of political leaders, to coordinate and consult in all situations, in addition to enhancing coordination between the two governments.”
