AMMAN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan reaffirmed on Thursday that the Palestinian issue is the central issue in the Middle East and will remain on top of Jordan's priorities.
At a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, the king stressed that Jordan places all its capabilities at the disposal of the Palestinians to attain their legitimate and just rights that will result in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state at the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.
King Abdullah reiterated the need to preserve the historic and legal status of Jerusalem, while pledging Jordan will continue to play its historic and religious role in safeguarding the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem based on the Hashemite Custodianship.
During the meeting, the discussions were focused on the need to intensify international efforts to realize just and lasting peace to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Abbas voiced appreciation of Jordan's efforts and stand on the Palestinian issue and Jerusalem, and King Abdulla's efforts to defend the rights of the Palestinians at all fronts.
The meeting came ahead of an economic summit the U.S. is planning to hold in Bahrain at the end of June, which aims to improve the economic conditions of Palestine and encourage Arab and Gulf countries to invest in the Palestinian territories.
The conference is the first step by the U.S. government to roll out its deal for the Palestinian-Israeli peace, widely known as Deal of the Century.
The Palestinian Authority has announced its boycott of the conference to protest against the U.S. biased stand in favor of Israel following Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
