BETHLEHEM — Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Saturday reiterated Jordan’s solidarity with the Palestinians in their legitimate right to establish an independent state on Palestinian soil.

During a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Judeh conveyed His Majesty King Abdullah’s wishes of peace and stability for the Palestinian people.

“I had the honour of meeting President Abbas as I conveyed to him the King’s wishes for the Palestinian people to have peace and stability,” Judeh said following his meeting with Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

He added that the visit to Bethlehem is “a message to the world on the strong and solid relations between Jordanians and Palestinians in particular and Muslims and Christians in general”, adding that it is a message of “coexistence between all congregations of the two monotheistic religions”.

Deputising for King Abdullah to attend Christmas celebrations at the biblical city of Bethlehem and the midnight mass there, Judeh said he conveyed the Monarch’s best wishes to the Palestinians on this religious occasion. 

He added that his meetings with top Palestinian officials are part of ongoing communications to coordinate efforts to seek a just end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Judeh stressed that Jordan will continue its efforts to support the Palestinian people at the regional and international levels.

“The Palestinian-Israeli conflict must be resolved within a comprehensive approach that tackles all final status issues including water, refugees and East Jerusalem, reaching a two-state solution that ensures an independent and viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Judeh said.