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Jordan says US involvement key to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

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Jordan’s King Abdullah says Jerusalem must be part of a comprehensive peace plan, noting that US involvement in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is key.

By Margot Dudkevitch, World Israel News

The final status of Jerusalem must be a part of a comprehensive peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordan’s King Abdullah II told the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.

Jerusalem “could be a city that brings us together or it could create aggression and violence that we haven’t seen before. Jerusalem is an emotional subject for everybody,” Arabnews.com quoted him saying.

The king said he would reserve judgment until he sees the Trump Administration’s new peace plan aimed at reigniting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The challenge is that the Americans must “give something good to the Palestinians,” he stated, adding that there can be no serious negotiations without US involvement.

However, he added, “the two-state solution we envision is not the two-state solution the Americans have in mind.”

Asked if he believes a one-state solution is possible, Abdullah said he doubted such a suggestion would be acceptable to Israelis.

The king nevertheless showed some optimistism about the future of the peace process. “We’ve been at this for awhile and looking at this always as a glass half full. We have to give the Americans the benefit of the doubt.”

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Just days ago, in a meeting with Mike Pence a day ahead of the US vice-president’s visit to Israel, Abdullah insisted that eastern Jerusalem must be the capital of a future Palestinian state, saying that “for us, Jerusalem is key to Muslims and Christians, as it is to Jews. It is key to peace in the region and key to enabling Muslims to effectively fight some of our root causes of radicalization.”

Pence responded by saying the two leaders have “agreed to disagree” on Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.