Israel’s president met with the Jordanian king this past week, in a new sign of improved relations between the two countries, the president’s office revealed on Saturday.
At the king’s invitation, new President Isaac Herzog met King Abdullah II at his palace in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Herzog’s office said in a statement. The two discussed a series of political and economic issues including energy and sustainability.
President Herzog, King Abdullah discuss Israel-Jordan cooperation in ‘warm’ meeting https://t.co/rSvJDUG8Tg
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) September 4, 2021
“Jordan is a very important country. I have immense respect for King Abdullah, a great leader, and a highly significant regional actor,” Herzog was quoted as saying following the meeting.
Last week’s meeting came less than two months after Abdullah II and the Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, met in secret following years of fraught relations under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the week following, Jordan and Israel signed two breakthrough water and trade deals.
Herzog secretly visited Jordan for meeting with king https://t.co/8dgfWlbbEx
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) September 4, 2021
In his statement, Herzog spoke of improving regional relations and the success of the so-called Abraham Accords in which Israel last year normalized diplomatic ties with Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates.
The normalization process caused an uproar across the Arab world and beyond, with worldwide protests breaking out in solidarity with Palestinians.
(The New Arab, PC, Social Media)
