King Abdullah II Meets Abbas, Calls on International Community to Safeguard Palestinians’ Rights in Jerusalem

Jordan's King Abdullah II (R) welcomes Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the Royal Palace in Amman on January 29, 2018. (AFP Photo/Khalil Mazraawi)
Jordan's King Abdullah II (R) welcomes Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the Royal Palace in Amman on January 29, 2018. (AFP Photo/Khalil Mazraawi)
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King Abdullah II Meets Abbas, Calls on International Community to Safeguard Palestinians’ Rights in Jerusalem

Jordan's King Abdullah II (R) welcomes Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the Royal Palace in Amman on January 29, 2018. (AFP Photo/Khalil Mazraawi)
Jordan's King Abdullah II (R) welcomes Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the Royal Palace in Amman on January 29, 2018. (AFP Photo/Khalil Mazraawi)

Jordan King Abdullah II called on the international community “to safeguard the rights of Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims and Christians in the city of Jerusalem,” which he said was “the key to achieving peace and stability in the region.”

This was stated during the meeting of Abdullah II with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday in Amman, within continuous coordination and discussion about Palestinian cause related developments.

According to a statement issued by the Jordanian Royal Court, Abdullah II affirmed that Jordan proceeds efforts in the international community to defend the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of Palestinians in establishing their independent state according to June 4 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Discussions tackled the vital role performed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and that it is a must that the international community supports UNRWA efforts, especially that there are six million Palestinian refugees registered at the UN.

Abbas briefed the Jordanian king about his meetings with international parties to face the threats jeopardizing the Palestinian cause and Jerusalem. He expressed appreciation in his name and in the name of the Palestinians to the Jordanian stance and efforts.

Abbas arrived in Amman on Sunday in a response to the Jordanian King's invitation.



Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
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Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)

Dozens of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants will hand over their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq on Friday, marking a symbolic but significant first step toward ending a decades-long insurgency with Türkiye.

The PKK, locked in conflict with the Turkish state and outlawed since 1984, decided in May to disband, disarm and end its armed struggle after a public call to do so from its long-imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, Reuters said.

After a series of failed peace efforts, the new initiative could pave the way for Ankara to end an insurgency that has killed over 40,000 people, burdened the economy and wrought deep social and political divisions in Türkiye and the wider region.

Around 40 PKK militants and one commander were expected to hand over their weapons at the ceremony in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, people familiar with the plan said. The PKK is based in northern Iraq after being pushed well beyond Türkiye’s frontier in recent years.

The arms are to be destroyed later in another ceremony attended by Turkish and Iraqi intelligence figures, officials of Iraq's Kurdistan regional government, and senior members of Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party - which also played a key role in facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision.

The PKK, DEM and Ocalan have all called on Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's government to address Kurdish political demands. In a rare online video published on Wednesday, Ocalan also urged Türkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage the broader peace process.

Ankara has taken steps toward forming the commission, while the DEM and Ocalan have said that legal assurances and certain mechanisms were needed to smooth the PKK's transition into democratic politics.

Erdogan has said his government would not allow any attempts to sabotage the disarmament process, adding he would give people "historic good news".

Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's AK Party, said the disarmament process should not be allowed to drag on longer than a few months to avoid it becoming subject to provocations.