Eye on Jerusalem discusses the King's speech at the UN General Assembly

The Head of the Jerusalem Awqaf Council and Director of the Awqaf Department, Sheikh Mohammad Azzam Al-Tamimi, said that His Majesty took a strong stand before the world at the United Nations in his "exceptional" speech, in which he affirmed the legitimate and uncompromisable rights of the Palestinian people. He also emphasized the necessity of preserving the historical, religious, and legal status quo of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and demanded that the countries of the world not suffice with being mere spectators, but instead work to take actual action to resolve the issue, halt extremist acts and Israeli violations, and move toward a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

For his part, former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ziad Abu Ziad said that the speech was not conventional, expressing the pain and awareness of what is happening in Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank. It included a genuine condemnation of Israeli crimes and practices against Palestinians, noting that His Majesty was expressing his feelings with complete sincerity and precision, and his speech was distinguished by accurate and compelling information and controversial points that silenced the other side.

For his part, Jerusalem Awqaf Council member Mazen Sinokrot affirmed that His Majesty the King's speech was historic and stemmed from the heart, distinguished by a "strong argument" that drew the world's attention. In it, he called on the world to wake up to the crises the occupation is trying to create, and to the necessity of focusing on major crises, foremost among them the Palestinian cause.

He pointed out that His Majesty spoke in the "language of the Hashemites," and that the Hashemite Custodianship and the preservation of Islamic and Christian holy sites, foremost among them the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, is a fundamental matter that cannot be compromised, stressing that "no change to this can be accepted."

Meanwhile, specialist in Jerusalem affairs Rassem Obeidat affirmed that His Majesty the King's speech was well-crafted and touched upon the core of the conflict. His Majesty accurately stated that "the political conflict in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is essentially a process of expelling and displacing the Palestinian people as part of the Israeli strategy," and that what is happening in the West Bank is not merely the "out-of-control actions of a group of settlers" as the occupation government promotes, but rather "government policy."

Jerusalemite Hijazi Al-Resheq said that His Majesty's speech was a clear and explicit expression of the suffering of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as His Majesty shed light on Israeli transgressions against the Palestinian people wherever they are, and expressed the aspirations and demands for independence and the establishment of a Palestinian state that beat within the hearts of the Palestinian people.

In turn, the Head of the Islamic-Christian Commission for Supporting Jerusalem and Holy Sites, Hatem Abdel Kader, said that His Majesty the King's speech was a "historic document and a bold plea" before the international community. It carried several messages and political connotations, conveying Arab "anger" toward Israel and the international community. It also included clear messages that matters have gotten out of hand, and that the time has come for the international community to assume its responsibility and shift from an entity trying to manage the crisis and the Arab-Israeli conflict to seeking the truth about the fundamental roots of this conflict.

He added that His Majesty diagnosed matters before the international community in a clear, explicit, and bold manner, whether regarding the attempts at killing and displacing the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, or what is happening in the West Bank and Jerusalem. He explained that the Israeli plot in the Gaza Strip is based on the extermination and displacement of citizens, while this plot aims to create an environment that expels Palestinians from the West Bank and Jerusalem.

He pointed out that the occupation's installation over the past few days of hundreds of military checkpoints that disrupted Palestinian lives and the tightening of its measures against them, in addition to the daily incursions and stormings taking place at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, prompted His Majesty to present the contents of his speech to the international community, hold it responsible for this, and convey the voice of Palestine and the suffering of its people to it.

Abdel Kader concluded that the King focused in his speech on the fact that the failure to activate international law and the failure of the international community to play its role in holding the occupation accountable, leaving it immune to punishment, will be paid for by the entire world. He noted that Israel will ultimately comply with international legitimacy as a large number of countries move to boycott it, particularly with His Majesty's demand that the international community impose sanctions on the occupying state, diplomatically boycott it, and take deterrent measures against it—whether at the recent summit or through his efforts over the past three years during his visits to Europe, the United States, and international institutions, which have had a major impact on shifting the international community's stance toward the Palestinian cause and Israel.

For his part, the Executive Director of the Reconstruction of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, Dr. Wasfi Al-Kilani, stated that His Majesty the King's speech constituted a unique case rarely formed by a political speech at the United Nations rostrum, garnering within 24 hours more than one billion views and millions of likes on the internet. He pointed out that what shaped this case was the "genuine confrontation" embodied in the speech.

He explained that His Majesty delivered his speech spontaneously and with a state of emotion and reproach toward the international community, confronting Israeli injustice and hegemony, along with a "dissection" of the forms of this injustice and arrogance, and what they entail of killings, genocide, and violations in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem against the Palestinian people, who were left alone to struggle in the occupied land with the remainder of the world's supporters of Palestinian rights.

Al-Kilani pointed out that His Majesty the King warned in his speech that the expansionist ambitions of the occupation government have become a regional threat, and also warned that any threat to Jordan's northern borders and water security constitutes a threat to its national security, affirming that Jordan "will not look away... rather, we will protect our security, our water, and the interests of our people."