JERUSALEM (EJP)—Israel’s Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu met Thursday with King Abdullah of Jordan in Amman, a meeting that had not been announced in advance.
The two leaders, who last met in March 2013, reportedly discussed recent developments in the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Netanyahu stressed the important role played by Jordan in the efforts to bring about an agreement. He further emphasized that Israel holds the security arrangements of the utmost significance, including Jordan’s interests, and that any future agreement will take into consideration the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel, signed twenty years ago.
They also discussed an array of economic cooperation between both countries in a number of fields as well as other regional matters.
According to the Jordanian Royal Palace, King Abdullah called on Netanyahu ‘’to seize the chance to achieve a lasting and comprehensive settlement with the Palestinians.’’
The Palace quoted quoted the King as urging Netanyahu to “build on the opportunity made available by the consolidated efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry to achieve tangible progress in the peace negotiations.”
The palace said the meeting with Netanyahu was significant because it coincided with a “critical period” in the negotiations, and noted that the king’s meeting with Netanyahu was part of Jordan’s “cooperation with all the sides involved in the peace process.”
The ultimate goal, Abdullah said, is the establishment of an “independent and viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.’’