AMMAN, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Jordan welcomed on Wednesday a resolution by UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) refuting Israeli claims in occupied East Jerusalem, state-run Petra news agency reported.
"The decision was the result of relentless diplomatic efforts by Jordan under the leadership of King Abdullah II of Jordan, which protects the holy Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem," said Mohammad Momani, Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs.
Jordan will continue to exert its utmost efforts to protect the holy sites including Al Aqsa Mosque, he added.
"The resolution stresses the need that Israeli halts all violations and practices in the old town of Jerusalem and in the surroundings of Al Aqsa Mosque," Momani noted.
Earlier on Tuesday, Palestine and Jordan presented a bid called "The Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls" to the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO that is meeting in the Polish city of Krakow.
The bid was approved at the 41st session of the committee, where 10 UNESCO member states voted in favor, three opposed and eight abstained.
UNESCO has so far passed 19 decisions regarding the issue of Jerusalem, all of which recognize the historical status of the holy city before it was occupied by Israel in 1967.
