The assembly between Isaac Herzog and King Abdullah II in Amman is signal of enhancing relations between the 2 states.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has revealed he met King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman, an unannounced assembly held towards the backdrop of enhancing diplomatic ties between the 2 nations.
“Final week I met and had a really lengthy dialog with the king of Jordan, I used to be in his palace, a complete night. It was a superb assembly,” Herzog mentioned in clips from an interview broadcast on Saturday on Israeli tv.
All the interview will likely be proven on Sunday, the eve of the Jewish new yr which begins on Monday night.
“Jordan is a vital nation. I’ve immense respect for King Abdullah, an important chief and a extremely important regional actor,” Herzog mentioned in a press release issued by his workplace
The assembly passed off at King Abdullah’s palace, with the 2 leaders discussing a collection of political and financial points together with power and sustainability, in line with the assertion.
It spoke of a “heat assembly, held on the king’s invitation”, throughout which the 2 mentioned “deep strategic points”.
“Among the many issues we mentioned had been the core points within the dialogue between our states, together with an settlement to import agricultural produce through the shemitah (agricultural sabbatical) yr, power points, sustainability, and options to the local weather disaster that we are able to advance collectively,” the assertion mentioned.
Mending strained relations
Jordan and Egypt are the one two nations bordering Israel to have signed peace treaties with it.
Israel-Jordan relations deteriorated beneath the premiership of Benjamin Netanyahu, whom critics accused of neglecting the Hashemite kingdom in favour of agreeing to normalise ties final yr with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Diplomatic relations have additionally been strained over tensions at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, and Israel’s enlargement of unlawful Jewish settlements within the occupied West Financial institution.
Nevertheless, shortly after he took workplace in June, new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew to Amman for talks with King Abdullah. Within the week following, Jordan and Israel signed two breakthrough water and commerce offers.
The 2 nations agreed that Israel would promote 50 million cubic metres of water a yr to Jordan, along with the 55 million cubic metres it already supplies freed from cost.
Below this settlement, Jordan is allowed to extend its exports to Palestinians within the West Financial institution, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Earlier this week, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas within the first high-level assembly between the 2 sides in years.
Gantz mentioned the Israeli authorities is keen on bolstering Abbas in his rivalry towards Gaza’s ruling Hamas group, together with plans to mortgage $150m to the cash-strapped autonomy authorities within the West Financial institution.