Amman: Secretary-General of the Royal Commission for Jerusalem Affairs (RCJA) Abdullah Kanaan on Thursday expressed grave concerns over the escalating Israeli measures targeting the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, including the demolition and razing of Palestinian properties and facilities, highlighting new demolition and confiscation orders.
According to Jordan News Agency, Kanaan noted that this escalation coincides with intensified attacks on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), its facilities, and staff. These actions are part of ongoing efforts to impose a new reality on the ground and undermine the Palestinian presence in the city. Kanaan emphasized that the evacuation of the UNRWA compound in Qalandia and the expulsion of agency staff from its training center are viewed as part of a systematic policy targeting Palestinian presence, which includes demolition and razing operations in Kafr Aqab and areas near the separation wall.
Kanaan outlined that the goal of these measures is to restrict the natural growth of the Palestinian population and impose demographic and urban changes on the city. Such actions constitute violations of international and humanitarian law, as well as relevant international legitimacy resolutions. He stressed that attacks on UNRWA are part of broader efforts to undermine the Palestinian refugee issue and erase international acknowledgment of their rights.
He further stated that the ongoing demolition, confiscation, and eviction operations in Jerusalem represent an attack on the city's identity and its Arab, Islamic, and Christian character, threatening its historical and legal status. Kanaan called on the international community to take legal and moral responsibility, urging a firm stance against these practices to halt Israeli violations, protect the Palestinian people, their property, and institutions, and preserve the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites.
According to the committee, Jordan, under King Abdullah II's leadership, will continue its "historic" role in protecting Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites under the Hashemite custodianship. The custodianship is deemed a "key" pillar in protecting Jerusalem and its holy sites, defending the rights of the Palestinian people, and supporting their right to establish an independent state on their national territory, with East Jerusalem as its capital.