Israeli PM meets Jordan's king, stressing status quo in Jerusalem

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on Monday. He focused on the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process and on the Jerusalem issue, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement,

The two discussed "regional developments, advancing political process and bilateral economic ties," the statement read.

Netanyahu also reiterated Israel's commitment to preserving the status quo in Jerusalem's holy sites, the statement added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, June 17, 2018. /VCG Photo

The king stressed "the need to advance in the efforts to find a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of a two-state solution", the Jordanian royal court said, referring to the creation of a Palestinian state.

"The only way to achieve peace and stability in the region" is a solution to "allow the creation of a Palestinian state on the lines of June 1967 with east Jerusalem as the capital, which would live in peace and security alongside Israel," he was quoted as saying.

King Abdullah said the question of Jerusalem – one of the thorniest issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – was "the key to achieving peace".

Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab countries to have peace treaties with Israel, and Monday's visit was Netanyahu's first to the kingdom since 2014.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan, April 30, 2018. /VCG Photo

The rare meeting comes in the week of a planned visit by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and special adviser, Jared Kushner, and US Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, to the region to discuss peace and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency