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President Isaac Herzog traveled final week to Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II, the previous’s workplace revealed on Saturday evening, within the newest signal of warming ties between the international locations.
“Jordan is an important nation. I’ve immense respect for King Abdullah, an excellent chief, and a extremely vital regional actor,” Herzog was quoted as saying in a press release from his workplace. “In our assembly, among the many issues we mentioned have been the core points within the dialogue between our states.”
“There’s a sense within the area of a want to make progress, a want to talk,” he added.
Herzog famous that it had been a yr for the reason that Abraham Accords — the normalization agreements between Israel and 4 of its regional neighbors, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan — have been signed.
“These accords created an vital regional infrastructure. They’re extremely vital agreements, that are remodeling our area and the dialogue inside it,” he mentioned.
Herzog mentioned that he plans to talk with and meet different heads of state within the area. “I converse with many leaders from all around the globe, virtually on daily basis, in full coordination with the Authorities of Israel. I feel that it is rather vital for the State of Israel’s strategic and diplomatic pursuits to interact everybody in dialogue,” he added.
Herzog’s journey was the most recent in a sequence of high-level contacts between the international locations after the swearing-in of Israel’s new authorities final month, following strained bilateral ties lately throughout the premiership of Benjamin Netanyahu.
In July, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Abdullah in secret on the crown palace in Amman, within the first summit between the international locations’ leaders in over three years.
Bennett’s journey marked the primary time Abdullah has met an Israeli prime minister since he secretly hosted Netanyahu in 2018. In response to stories, Abdullah had refused to fulfill with Netanyahu, whom he strongly disliked.
In February, Protection Minister Benny Gantz additionally met secretly with Abdullah in Jordan. Herzog on Saturday confirmed that the assembly came about, as Gantz’s workplace had not publicly commented on it on the time.
Earlier this yr, tensions burst into the open after Amman delayed a aircraft that was slated to carry Netanyahu to the UAE, ostensibly in response to Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein scotching a visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, resulting from disagreements over safety preparations.
The then-Israeli premier, who was pressured to cancel his journey to Abu Dhabi, tried to close down Israeli airspace to Jordanian flights in revenge, in accordance with stories.
Jordan and Israel share sturdy safety ties, however political relations have soured lately as Amman sparred with Jerusalem over Israel’s insurance policies towards the Palestinians and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which is below Jordanian custody, whilst Israel moved nearer to different Sunni Arab states.
Jordan, an vital regional ally to each Israel and the USA, has lengthy known as for a two-state resolution and the renewal of Israel-Palestinian peace talks, which have been frozen since 2014.
In an interview broadcast Saturday with Channel 13 information, Herzog mentioned that it was vital to keep up relations with the Palestinian Authority, “when it’s relating to Israel’s safety, [and other] vital topics,” after Gantz met with PA President Mahmoud Abbas final week.
“Nobody ought to deceive themself that not speaking to the PA will profit Israel’s safety,” Herzog added.
‘No deal’ on potential Netanyahu pardon
Herzog additionally refused to say whether or not he would take into account pardoning Netanyahu, who’s on trial in three corruption instances. Netanyahu, now opposition chief, denies wrongdoing.
“That is an unfair and theoretical query,” he mentioned in an interview with the Kan public broadcaster.
Within the run-up to the presidential vote, Herzog refused to say whether or not he would take into account pardoning Netanyahu, who had not endorsed both candidate.
Herzog additionally confronted scrutiny for hiring Naor Ihia as his spokesman, defying some critics who’ve highlighted Ihia’s previous work as Netanyahu’s spokesman.
“There was no initiative, direct or oblique, that was spoken of with Netanyahu,” Herzog advised Channel 12 information. “I didn’t decide to something, there isn’t a deal… it’s an egg that hasn’t been hatched.”
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