AMMAN, November 8, 2024 (WAFA) – Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thursday denounced the raid by armed Israeli occupation forces into the Church of the Pater Noster in the occupied city of Jerusalem and the subsequent arrest of two staff members of the Consulate General of France.

Spokesperson for the Ministry, Sufyan al-Qudah, stated in a press statement that this step reflects “Israel’s persistence in pursuing its practices that violate the longstanding historic and legal status in Jerusalem, while stressing that Israel does not have sovereignty over the city.

He affirmed Jordan’s absolute rejection of all Israeli practices intended to alter not only the identity of East Jerusalem, including that of the Old City, but also the longstanding historical and legal status in the holy sites.

He reiterated that Jordan stands by France in the face of the practices of Israeli occupation forces.

On Thursday evening, armed Israeli police broke into the Church of the Pater Noster in the occupied city of Jerusalem, prompting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to abandon a scheduled visit to the site.

Minister Barrot stated that “these actions are unacceptable” while affirming that “France strongly condemns these actions, with particular emphasis on the fact they took place in a context whereby France is doing everything it can to work towards the de-escalation of violence in the region.”

Situated to the right of the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives, the Church of the Pater Noster is a Roman Catholic church, which was originally established by the Byzantines at the site where tradition holds that Jesus Christ taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, "Our Father, who art in heaven."

Known as the "Alona" Church, "Alona" signifies the Mount of Olives in Greek. The current church was constructed in 1873 upon the foundations of earlier churches. One of its notable features is the presence of ceramic plaques displaying the Lord’s Prayer written in over 70 languages.

K.F.