For his part, Dr. Judah thanked the leaders of the GCC countries for the financial grant offered to his country to inject a five-year momentum to the development wheel in Jordan, noting that such support would contribute to implementing several developmental projects and has already provided positive response for the Jordanian economy, thus overcoming a number of economic obstacles once threatening the development process in the country. He considered this not-strange initiative by the GCC member states another tangible and real evidence of the firmness of the ties between the GCC countries and Jordan, lauding his country's keenness to enhance the ties of cooperation and work to achieve a distinguished strategic partnership, emanating from firm belief that all our countries constitute strategic depth for each other. He lauded the outcome of meetings of task committees formed between the GCC and Jordan as per the ministerial meeting held in Manama, Bahrain, in October 2012. He drew the attention to numerous challenges facing the region, necessitating facing them with the most required determination and joint efforts, citing the Palestinian issue as Arab central and crucial priority, rejecting Israel's recent escalation and underscoring the importance of preserving the Palestinian human rights which are now subject to continuing breach contrary to all international norms. --More 18:31 LOCAL TIME 15:31 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w