The uncommon assembly between the leaders, who’ve lengthy had a rocky relationship, comes as tensions develop over Israel’s new ultranationalist authorities, which took workplace late final 12 months. The talks centered across the standing of a contested holy web site within the Outdated Metropolis of Jerusalem sacred to each Jews and Muslims, an emotional issue at the heart of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordan’s official assertion indicated.
Jordan’s royal court docket mentioned the king urged Israel to respect the established order on the sacred compound, which Muslims name the Noble Sanctuary and Jews name the Temple Mount. The compound — the third-holiest web site in Islam — sits on a sprawling plateau additionally dwelling to the long-lasting golden Dome of the Rock.
Below an association that has prevailed for many years below Jordan’s custodianship, Jews and non-Muslims are permitted visits throughout sure hours however might not pray there. However Jewish non secular nationalists, together with members of Israel’s new governing coalition, have more and more visited the location and demanded equal prayer rights for Jews there, infuriating the Palestinians and Muslims world wide.
In Tuesday’s assembly, King Abdullah II additionally pushed Israel to “stop its acts of violence” which might be undermining hopes for an eventual peaceable settlement to the decadeslong Israeli-Palestinian battle, the Jordanian authorities added, reaffirming its help for a two-state resolution. Israel’s new coalition has vowed to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and even annex the territory, making a future impartial Palestinian state unviable.
Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned he mentioned “regional issues” and safety and financial cooperation with Jordan, a key regional ally. Jordan’s 1994 treaty normalizing ties with Israel produced a chilly-at-best peace between the previous enemies.
The Jordanian authorities has already summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman twice within the final month since Israel’s new authorities took workplace — each instances after an incident on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Netanyahu has repeatedly supplied assurances that there was no change in the established order on the web site.
Earlier this month, Israel’s new hard-line minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, made a provocative go to to the location, drawing condemnations from Jordan and throughout the Arab world. Jordan also protested to Israel after Israeli police briefly blocked the Jordanian ambassador from getting into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, decrying the transfer as an affront to Jordan’s function as custodian.
The compound is run by Jordanian non secular authorities as a part of an unofficial settlement after Israel captured east Jerusalem, together with the West Financial institution and Gaza, within the 1967 Mideast battle. Israel is answerable for safety on the web site. Due to Jordan’s particular function and the location’s significance to Muslims world wide, no matter occurs on the web site has regional implications.
The location emerged as a serious flashpoint between Israel and the Muslim world in 2017, when Israel positioned metallic detectors, cameras and different safety measures at entrances to the compound in response to a lethal Palestinian assault there. After days of a number of the worst Israeli-Palestinian clashes in years, Jordan helped resolve the disaster.
Over time, the neighbors have maintained an important safety alliance, buttressing Jordan’s place as a companion of the West in one of many world’s most risky areas.
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