On the first day of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II asserted in his address that the Christian faith in Israel is in jeopardy.
“Today, the future of Jerusalem is an urgent concern,” Abdullah said. “As a Muslim leader, let me say clearly that we are committed to defending the rights, the precious heritage, and the historic identity of the Christian people of our region. Nowhere is this more important than in Jerusalem.”
“As custodians of Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites, we are committed to protecting the historical and legal status quo and to their safety and future,” the king said, at the 77th annual UN General Assembly in New York.
“And as a Muslim leader, let me say clearly, that we are committed to defending the rights, precious heritage and historic identity of the Christian people of our region.”
But he said the city’s Christian community was “under fire”.
“The rights of churches in Jerusalem are threatened. This cannot continue. Christianity is vital to the past and present of our region and the Holy Land. It must remain an integral part of our future.”
Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant leaders express their “utmost gratitude” to Jordan’s King Abdullah II for his honest description of the Christian reality in the Holy Land.
Patriarchs and heads of Churches in Jerusalem have expressed their gratitude to Jordan’s King Abdullah II for telling the UN General Assembly about Christians in Jerusalem and his promise to help preserve the city’s Christian identity.
The Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders in a statement said they “express our utmost gratitude and appreciation” to the king “for his true and honest description of the Christian reality” in the Holy Land, especially in Jerusalem and said they applauded him for his “public commitment to protect our communities’ historical and legal status quo, thus preserving our safety and future”.
The king’s “warning over the deteriorating situation of Christian basic human rights sends a strong message to the world regarding the clear and present dangers surrounding the Christian heritage and presence in Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land,” the Church leaders said September 27.
You may read the statement of the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem
Read the full speech of King Abdullah II at the UN General Assembly
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