Biden met with the Jordanian monarch at the White House after repeated clashes between police and worshipers at the flashpoint Old City holy site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The incidents have caused escalating diplomatic tensions between Israel and Jordan.
The White House said in a statement following the meeting that Biden reiterated “his strong support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and cited the need to preserve the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount,” using the names for the holy site used by Muslims and Jews.
“The President also recognized the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” the White House added.
Jordan ruled the West Bank and East Jerusalem from 1948 until the 1967 Six Day War, when Israel captured the area and subsequently claimed sovereignty in the Old City and an expanded Jerusalem. READ MORE
