Abbas, Abdullah reaffirm their support for renewed negotiations between Israel, PA
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah on Sunday reaffirmed their support for a renewal of serious and effective negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, a few days before the Palestinian leader is slated to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington.
Abbas is on a regional tour ahead of his trip to the American capitol on May 3, which will be his first since Trump assumed office.
Abbas and Abdullah, who met in Amman, added that negotiations should be based on a two-state solution in accordance with pre-1967 lines, which they said “is the only solution to ending the conflict,” Wafa, the official PA news site, reported.
Trump surprised Middle Eastern leaders when he told a White House press conference in mid-February that he is open to a one-state or two-state solution, bucking years of firm US commitments to the two-state solution.
In an interview with Reuters a week later, Trump indicated that he is leaning toward a two-state solution, but did not declare his outright support for it.
“I like the two-state solution... but I ultimately like what both parties like,” the American president said.
The Palestinian and Jordanian leaders also rejected changes to the status quo in Jerusalem, including “unilateral Israeli measures that threaten the identity of the holy city.” The two did not elaborate on which “unilateral measures” they were referring to.
Israel is planning to announce 15,000 settlement units to be built in east Jerusalem in the coming weeks. While much of the international community sees east Jerusalem as “occupied territory,” the government considers all of the holy city as its capital.
Abbas also met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Saturday night to discuss his upcoming meeting with Trump.
Abbas and Sisi stated their support for reviving negotiations based on the two-state solution, Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad told Wafa.
Abdullah and Sisi visited the White House in early April, where they discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with Trump.
Abbas has said over the past several weeks that he is coordinating with Egypt and Jordan to speak in “one language” about the conflict to the American president.
Ever since Trump extended an invitation in March for Abbas to visit the White House, Abbas, Abdullah and Sisi have coordinated closely.