His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday said he has been following up on attempts to sow sedition in the Jordanian community.

At a meeting with dignitaries from Irbid Governorate, held at the Royal Hashemite Court, King Abdullah noted such practices date back to the days of His Majesty the late King Hussein, saying that the people in question have historically taken advantage of the head of the state’s absence to play their game.

“Our fathers and grandfathers raised us to safeguard our national unity. Wherever we go in the world, we hear about Jordanians’ generosity and that they open their hearts to all,” the King added.

Khawarej (renegades of Islam) and terrorists are close to our borders waiting for any opportunity to weaken the national unity and cause harm to the country, His Majesty said, adding that Jordanians will not allow this because the strength of Jordanian national unity is what makes Jordan different from others.

“I am Hussein’s father and Hussein’s son, and it is my duty to protect all Jordanians, Muslims and Christians, and the country’s guests, regardless their origins; and I know you will support me with this mission,” the King told the attendees.

On the Syrian crisis, His Majesty said he will contact European leaders, and pay a visit to the UN headquarters next week to tell the world that thanking Jordan for hosting Syrian refugees for three to four years is not enough.

On Europe’s recent moves to address the refugee crisis, the King said the biggest European country will host refugees with a percentage that does not exceed 1 per cent of its population.

His Majesty noted that the refugee burden has affected the Kingdom’s economic situation, which is the most important challenge for Jordanians, who have been already struggling with poverty and unemployment.

The King said that Jordanian institutions will speak loudly about the country’s needs, not only in the name of refugees, but also of Jordanians, noting that last year’s international assistance covered only 24 per cent of the Kingdom’s needs to deal with the refugees.

So far this year, Jordan has received around 35 per cent of its needs to address the problem, His Majesty said, while the government covers the rest of the cost.

The King also underlined the Israeli violations in Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque, saying: “We are closely following up on the issue with the government, and my stance stated Monday during the meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron was very clear.”

“We will continue following up on the case during the next few days and we will consider our options and take necessary measures as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” His Majesty added.

Regarding the political situations, the King stressed that the Kingdom’s stance is very strong on the international level, and the Jordanian people enjoy respect everywhere in the world.

His Majesty also said that recent visits to China and South Korea opened new scopes, expressing optimism that economic cooperation with these countries will provide many jobs for Jordanians across the country.

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarwaneh told the gathering that King Abdullah has directed officials at the Royal Hashemite Court to implement a number of initiatives, in line with government measures in the sectors of industry, education, youth and public services.

The initiatives include setting two projects in the Northern Mazar and Bani Kinanah districts to employ 300 youths through productive projects carried out by the Ministry of Labour in cooperation with private sector investors. He added that the Royal initiatives also included establishing a vocational training centre to serve Taybah and Wistiyah districts, along with seven football pitches across the governorate.

Demands by residents included upgrading infrastructure and services in the sectors of health, education and agriculture.

Irbid Mayor Hussein Bani Hani said that municipalities in Irbid suffer from the additional burden caused by hosting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, calling for more support to the municipalities.

Other demands included placing the historical city of Um Qais on the national tourism map, in addition to empowering youths and women in economic participation through development projects targeting them.

Speakers also called for removing obstacles facing investors in the governorate, to enhance public-private partnerships and to expand industrial estates to fit more investments.

Representatives of the northern governorate also highlighted the importance of supporting the agriculture sector and farmers, in addition to increasing the capacity of schools and health centres in some areas.

Speakers praised the efforts of the King in protecting the Holy Sites of Jerusalem.