LONDON: King Abdullah of Jordan hosted a Ramadan iftar at Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman on Tuesday, the guests at which included Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and religious and political figures from Jerusalem, including representatives of several faiths and the Islamic Waqf.

Abbas commended the king for Jordan’s support of the rights of Palestinians, including their right to an independent state, and the country’s rejection of plans to displace Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip.

Mohammed Azzam Al-Khatib, director of the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs department, which is responsible for administering the mosque, said Jordanian support has enabled the Waqf to carry out several charitable projects to help Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem.

Jordan is the custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It administered the Old City of Jerusalem and the West Bank for nearly 20 years before the Israeli occupation began in June 1967.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem described Jordan’s guardianship of holy Islamic and Christian sites in the city as “a great political and historical responsibility."

He said the Christian presence in Jerusalem faces growing challenges from extremist Israeli groups that want to seize church property. He also warned of the rise of “Christian Zionism,” which he said distorts the teachings of Christ to use them as a tool for political ends, the Petra news agency reported.

William Hanna Shomali, the auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and Mohammed Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, also thanked King Abdullah for supporting Palestinian causes.

Other guests at the iftar included Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s minister of foreign affairs, Hussein Al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, and other senior officials and ministers from Jordan and Palestine.