Jordan king Meets Israeli PM

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Today, Wednesday, King Abdullah II of Jordan met with the Prime Minister of the Israeli occupation government, Yair Lapid, at the Al-Husainiya Palace in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

During the meeting, the Jordanian king said, "Palestinians should be part of the US-sponsored regional economic projects to underpin stability in the Middle East."

Abdullah II referred to the "necessity of finding a political horizon to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace," and to "enhance security, stability, and regional development, of which the Palestinians must be a part."

The Jordanian king also called for "the need to maintain a comprehensive calm in the coming period and to respect the historical and legal status quo in Al-Quds and its Islamic and Christian sanctities."

The meeting between Abdullah II and Lapid also dealt with various other issues, including transportation, trade, water, and energy.

For its part, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said that "the meeting was warm-hearted and long" and during the meeting, King Abdulla II and Lapid discussed the many opportunities that would add content to the peace agreement, improve relations, and enhance common interests."

Read: Jordanian people have hatred for 'Israel' - Israeli media

It is worth noting that this is the first visit of the occupation government's Prime Minister Yair Lapid to the Jordanian capital, Amman, since he assumed his current position.

The King of Jordan was one of the participants in the Jeddah Summit for Security and Development, which was held in Saudi Arabia in the presence of US President Joe Biden and the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq.

In his speech at the summit, he stressed the importance of reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution. He also touched on the file of Syrian refugees, saying that his country hosts more than one million Syrian refugees, while the international community must carry on with its role in countering the impact of the refugee crisis on refugees and host communities.

Jordanian King: We will support a Middle Eastern version of NATO

In an interview with the American CNBC channel earlier, Jordan's King Abdullah II noted that "Jordan is actively working with NATO and considers itself a partner in the alliance, having fought shoulder to shoulder with NATO forces for decades."

Abdullah added, “I would like to see more countries in the region getting involved in this mix. I would be one of the first people to endorse a Middle East NATO,” noting that the vision of such a military alliance must be very clear, and its role must be specific and "the mission statement has to be very, very clear. Otherwise, it confuses everybody.”

Moreover, he continued by saying that besides potential security and military cooperation, the countries of the Middle East have begun working together to address the challenges that have arisen from the war in Ukraine. “All of us are coming together and saying ‘how can we help each other,” which he emphasized is "very unusual for the region.”

When asked about the situation in Palestine and how it affects the vision he is talking about, the Jordanian King said that "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has the ability to obstruct plans and cooperation in the Middle East," adding that “If they’re not talking to each other, that creates insecurities and instability in the region that will affect regional projects.”

In his opinion, Jordan is seeking stability and cooperation with like-minded nations as it is being increasingly faced with challenges because of energy costs, water scarcity, as well as an influx of refugees.