Jordanian king slams Israel’s ‘unilateral policies’

Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday charged that Jerusalem’s “unilateral policies” were a provocation that threatened the possibility of achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

In a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London, the king emphasized the important role that England plays within the EU and the international community in encouraging the two sides to return to the negotiating table.

Abdullah reiterated the importance of revitalizing talks within the framework of a two-state solution that would establish an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.

The UN General Assembly recently upgraded the Palestinian Authority to nonmember state status, a move that spurred Israel to announce that it would build 3,000 new homes in Jerusalem and the West Bank, including in the controversial E1 corridor connecting the capital to Maaleh Adumim. The plans have met with widespread international criticism.

Additionally, Israel announced that it would withhold some NIS 450 million in tax revenues that were slated to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority, and instead use the money to offset the PA’s outstanding debts to Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has warned that if Israel goes ahead with its plans for construction and for withholding tax revenues, he will turn to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.