Jordan renews support for Palestinian Authority

Jordan on Saturday reiterated its support for the Palestinian Authority (PA), represented by President Mahmoud Abbas.

At a meeting with Abbas, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who conveyed a message from His Majesty King Abdullah to the Palestinian leader, expressed the Kingdom's commitment to continued coordination with the authority to end the current "impasse" in peace efforts and relaunch serious and effective peace negotiations that lead to the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the national soil with East Jerusalem as its capital.

During a joint press conference with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad Malki, Judeh underlined that establishing an independent Palestinian state is in the interest of Jordan, stressing Jordan's full support for the PA's efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue.

He said the Israeli government is not exerting enough effort to resume peace negotiations.

The minister reaffirmed Jordan's rejection of Israel's unilateral measures, particularly the continuation of settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as its attempts to violate the sanctity of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, which he said hinder the resumption of negotiations.

He underscored that the US and international community should continue to play a significant role in peacemaking, highlighting the "unprecedented" international consensus regarding the two-state formula and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.

Stressing the centrality of the Palestinian cause, Judeh highlighted that the two-state solution is in fact a "57-state solution", referring to the Arab Peace Initiative, which was agreed upon in the 2002 Beirut summit and offers Israel peace and normal ties with 57 Arab and Muslim countries in exchange for withdrawal from all occupied lands.

Malki said discussions covered the latest political developments regarding peace negotiations, especially the current "crisis" created by Israel's refusal to abide by the 2002 roadmap and halt settlement expansion, including the so-called "natural growth" of settlements.

He underlined the importance of the upcoming EU ministerial meeting, slated to be held in Brussels on Monday to discuss the Swedish proposal regarding the two-state solution.