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Gantz met with Jordanian monarch, ‘dealt with regional security’

The meeting was set already before the deadly Hadera terror attack Sunday night, in coordination with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

By World Israel News Staff

Defense Minister Benny Gantz met Tuesday with King Abdullah II at the Royal Palace in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a day after the monarch met with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

The meeting focused on “regional and security challenges,” his office said in a press release.

Gantz discussed the measures that Israel is planning to take to enable freedom of prayer in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, his spokesperson said. He may have been referring to the flashpoint Temple Mount in the Old City – Judaism’s holiest place and Islam’s third-holiest – where Jews have been denied equal rights by the Jordanian Waqf (Muslim Trust), which administers the site.

He also focused on the importance of security coordination during the upcoming Ramadan period, when tensions are heightened.

The meeting was set already before the deadly Hadera terror attack Sunday night, in coordination with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

The defense minister discussed additional civilian measures that would benefit Palestinians in Judea and Samaria and in Gaza and which would be implemented in accordance with the security interests of the State of Israel.

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Gantz emphasized the importance of maintaining regional peace and stability and the need to fight terrorism in all its forms, specifically to act forcefully against ISIS, which has coordinated the recent attacks in Israel, his office said.

He “thanked the King for his leadership and positive influence in the region, and for his willingness to deepen peaceful relations and to expand cooperation between the Kingdom of Jordan and Israel in all areas.”