Jordan king, Israeli premier discuss Middle East peace process

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Jordanian King Abdullah II met with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in the capital Amman on Wednesday.

The meeting was the first between the Jordanian monarch and Lapid since the latter assumed his post last month.

Talks between the two sides focused on the stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordan’s Royal Court said in a statement.

Abdullah reaffirmed the “need to create a political horizon to achieve just, comprehensive, lasting peace on the basis of the two-state solution and to bolster regional security, stability, and development, which must include Palestinians,” the statement said.

He also stressed on the importance of maintaining calm in the Palestinian territories and respecting the existing historical and legal status quo regarding Jerusalem and its religious sanctities, it added.

The two leaders also discussed the results of US President Joe Biden’s recent visit to the Middle East region, the statement said.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in 1993 signed the Oslo agreement which gave Palestinians a form of civil rule, but negotiations failed to complete the agreement that was to lead up to a Palestinian state.

Negotiations, however, between the Palestinians and Israelis collapsed in April 2014 as Tel Aviv refused to stop settlements construction and rejected the demand for the release of Palestinian detainees imprisoned before 1993.