Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry had a meeting in Jordan’s capital Amman, during which they discussed the Israeli Palestinian conflict, as well as the ongoing war raging in Syria. Following their meeting, the two top diplomats held a joint press conference, in which they called on Israel and the Palestinians to resume negotiations that would bring about an end to the decades old conflict, while stressing the importance both countries hold pertaining to Jerusalem, in which the old city’s Islamic and Christian identities are preserved.
“It is important to reiterate these principles, but we are also working, by communicating with both sides of the conflict and international parties, to reinstate negotiations and (define) final status of the settlements,” said Safadi. “In our view, Jerusalem is extremely important, our firm stance is that we reject any unilateral efforts that attempt to change the Arab, Muslim and Christian identity of the Holy city. This stance has been clearly articulated by His Majesty, and we have conveyed our viewpoint on the outcome of any decision that threatens the identity of Jerusalem clearly and honestly to the United States administration,” said Shoukry.
Jordan’s King Abdullah was the first Arab leader to hold talks with the new US administration, as well as the first Middle Eastern leader to hold a closed-door meeting with President Donald Trump. Jordanian sources described the meeting to TV7 as a positive discussion, during which the Jordanian King was able to convey to the new American President the vital interests of the Hashemite Kingdom in the midst of regional chaos, including its objection to the declared move of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which the Jordanian official stressed should only happen after the Israelis and Palestinians will reach a viable peace agreement that would end all disputes between the two peoples.