Abdullah Tawfiq Kanaan, Secretary-General of the Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs, stated that the unanimous decision by the Executive Board of UNESCO regarding the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls affirms Jerusalem’s Arab identity and the justice of its cause. It represents an international consensus on the necessity for Israel, the occupying power, to maintain the historical and legal status quo in the holy city.

Kanaan emphasized in a press statement today, Sunday, that this decision, along with dozens of previous UNESCO resolutions and United Nations General Assembly and Security Council decisions, all prove the invalidity of Israel’s unilateral measures aimed at Judaizing Jerusalem, erasing its Arab and Islamic identity. He warned of the dangers posed by the Israeli right-wing government, settlers, and the so-called “Temple organizations” to regional and global security and peace.

He said the committee views this international decision as confirmation of the legitimacy of the historical and legal Palestinian demands, and renewed support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state on their national land with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Kanaan added that the timing of the decision coincides with growing international recognition of the Palestinian state and increasing official and popular stances worldwide rejecting the genocide crimes in Gaza and annexation plans in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. This reflects increasing political and moral isolation of the extremist Israeli right-wing government before global public opinion.

He affirmed the importance of Jordanian political, diplomatic, and relief efforts led by His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Hashemite custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, in defending Jerusalem and Palestine and supporting its people regardless of the sacrifices. He noted that these efforts enjoy the support of the Hashemite family and the united Jordanian house.

Kanaan pointed out that the current international climate supporting Palestine, represented by international resolutions and widespread popular protests against occupation practices, alongside the election of a new UNESCO Director-General who holds Arab identity and commitment to the Jerusalem cause, constitutes an opportunity to strengthen the authentic Arab and Islamic narrative of Jerusalem against the distorted Talmudic claims and Israeli settlement narratives.

Kanaan confirmed that the committee sees this international momentum supporting Palestine and Jerusalem as an embodiment of the values of justice and humanity advocated by His Majesty King Abdullah II, and a real support for efforts to achieve the “two-state solution” and establish the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on international legitimacy and principles of right and justice.