Jordan’s King Abdullah II has said he is prepared for conflict should the status quo regarding holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem change, warning that there are “red lines” not to be crossed, The New Arab reported.

“If people want to get into a conflict with us, we’re quite prepared,” the Jordan sovereign told CNN in an exclusive interview earlier this month, which was broadcast on Wednesday.

The interview was held on the East Bank of the Jordan River where Jesus was believed to have been baptized. The location was symbolically important as the king spoke of the ancient Christian presence in both Jordan and Jerusalem, and the hardships they face due to Israel’s policies.

“I always like to believe that, let’s look at the glass half full, but we have certain red lines… And if people want to push those red lines, then we will deal with that.”

The king expressed his country’s concerns that there were those in Israel trying to push for changes in Jordan’s custodianship of Christian and Muslim holy sites in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967, along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Jordan is the custodian of the Al-Aqsa complex, home to Islam’s third holiest site.

“We are the custodians of both the Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem; my concern is that there are challenges that the churches are facing from policies on the ground. If we continue to use Jerusalem as a soapbox for politics, things can get out of control really, really quickly,” the king warned.

The king’s relationship with incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been tense for years, ever since the latter’s last government, and is set to worsen over the issue of Jerusalem’s holy sites and other matters.

(The New Arab, PC, SOCIAL)