Arab character of Jerusalem must be preserved: Jordan’s King Abdullah

Jordanian King Abdullah addressed the UN General Assembly's 70th annual General Debate on Monday, saying that Jordan rejects threats to Jerusalem's Muslim and Christian holy sites.

The Jordanian monarch's comments came amid tensions between Jordan and Israel over recent clashes at the Temple Mount.

"The Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem's Muslim and Christian sites is a sacred duty," Abdullah said.

"We join Muslims and Christians everywhere in rejecting threats to the Arab character of this holy city," he said in an apparent reference to Israel.

Abdullah called for leaders of the world not to tolerate any extremism either in mosques or synagogues.

Speaking of the situation in Syria, the monarch called the battle against violent extremism "a third world war."

"Hunger for power is the motive for these extremists," Abdullah said.

"They use religion as a mask. Is there a worse crime than twisting god's word to promote your own interests?" he asked.

On the refugee crisis, he said that Jordan had been faced with the challenge since the beginning of the Syrian conflict. Twenty percent of Jordan's population is made up of such refugees, he said.