Netanyahu meets with Jordan’s king in unannounced trip to Amman

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Jordan earlier in the day to meet King Abdullah II, the Israeli premier’s office announces.

According to Israel, the two leaders discussed “strategic, security, and economic cooperation” during the meeting, the first between the leaders in over four years. They also spoke about the importance of the alliance between the countries.

A Jordanian statement says Abdullah “stressed the need to respect the historical and legal status quo” at the Temple Mount, and not to harm the Al Aqsa Mosque. He also stresses Amman’s support for a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as its capital.

During Netanyahu’s last stint as premier between 2009 and 2021, ties between Jerusalem and Amman deteriorated markedly, with Abdullah saying in 2019 that relations were “at an all-time low” after a series of incidents that prompted Jordan to recall its ambassador to Israel.

Abdullah last hosted Netanyahu in 2018, in another trip that was kept secret until after the fact. Netanyahu’s predecessor Yair Lapid met Abdullah in Jordan and at the United Nations. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett also met with the Jordanian king in Amman.