March 31, between Palestinian leader Mahmoud
Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II takes a
new stand on Jerusalem - one of the core issues subject to negotiation with Israel - by accepting the king as
Custodian of the city’s Holy Sites. The Palestinians agreed that Abdullah
“will oversee and manage the Waqf (Muslim religious authority) in
Jerusalem” and represent the interests of the Holy Sites “in relevant
international forums… through feasible legal means.” Where the Palestinian (Wafa) and Jordanian (Petra) versions of the same
agreement differ is over the definition of “Palestinian sovereignty.” debkafile: However, by this document, the Palestinian leader and the king
have laid the foundation for a mixed Arab-Palestinian-Israeli framework for
managing the shrines holy to Jews (who are not mentioned), Muslims and
Christians in Jerusalem. It has opened the door to what many will be
perceive as a proposal to internationalize Jerusalem’s sanctuaries, a status
affirmed but never honored from 1948 to 1967.
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