Jordan urges world to restart peace process
King Abudllah II meets with PA's Abbas, calls Palestinian statehood priority for Hashemite kingdom
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan’s king is urging the international community to restart Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking, despite regional conflicts and tensions.
A royal palace statement said the appeal by King Abdullah II came in a closed-door meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday.
The statement said Abdullah assured Abbas that the Palestinian right to statehood remains a priority for Jordan, which shares Israel’s longest border.
“It’s important that the international community would press ahead to revive peacemaking, despite the developments in the region,” Abdullah said.
Nearly half of Jordan’s 6 million people are of Palestinian origin. Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab countries that have a peace treaty with Israel.
The statement said Abdullah blamed Israel for the stalemate in peace efforts, but did not elaborate.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press