Herzog covertly meets with Jordan’s Abdullah ahead of ‘important developments in the region’

President Isaac Herzog covertly traveled to Jordan earlier this week where he met with King Abdullah, his office reveals in a statement.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of US President Joe Biden’s July visit to the Middle East and “as part of diplomatic developments in the region,” his office says.

“During the warm meeting, held at King Abdullah’s invitation, the president and the king discussed deep strategic issues, at both bilateral and regional levels,” the statement adds, providing little detail regarding the substance of their discussion. “The visit also addressed the protection of stable Israeli-Jordanian relations and the need for dialogue with all actors in the region.”

The visit was carried out in coordination with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Herzog’s office says.

A Jordanian official tells Channel 12 that the visit came ahead of “important developments in the region.”

Relations between Israel and Jordan, which enjoyed a marked improvement over most of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s term, took a sharp downturn amid unrest at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount in April and May.

Herzog’s visit is the highestlevel meeting to have taken place since then, though National Security Council chairman Eyal Hulata traveled to Jordan last week as well.