AMMAN — His Majesty
King Abdullah’s
meetings with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday and Israeli
President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday are part of the King’s diplomatic efforts
to ensure the attainment of a comprehensive peace on the basis of two-state
solution, and respect for the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem.
اضافة اعلان
They are also part of an attempt to
ensure that calm is maintained during the holy month of Ramadan, say political
analysts, and this requires respecting the Muslims’ right to worship at
Al-Aqsa Mosque, and, implicitly, Israel to refrain from provocations that could lead to
escalations.
According to political writer and
analyst Hamadeh Faraneh, Jordan is asking Israel to halt Israeli settlers' incursions
into Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan just as new factors come into play — US
pressure on Israel to maintain calm, the war in Ukraine as a priority on
the international political scene, and violence in Naqab, Hadera, and
Bnei Brak — which may motivate Israel to respond to the Jordanian demands.
"Jordan did not respond to the
Israeli invitation to the Naqab meeting. In contrast, it responded to the
Palestinian president's invitation to host his Majesty King Abdullah, the Crown
Prince, and the prime minister in Ramallah, which held a dual message. One was to
the Palestinians, that Jordan is on their side, the other to the Israelis,”
that Jordan snubbed the Israeli invitation to the meeting that took place on
the March 28, Faraneh added.
The meetings with the two Israeli
officials, he said, will be a positive step “if the Israeli side complies”.
“Jordan has thrown the ball into the
Israelis’ court, and holds them responsible for any arising conflict,” he said,
adding that Israel could be expected to honor the Jordanian demands “because
the defense minister and the president would not have visited Jordan otherwise”.
According to political analyst and
university professor Amer Al-Sabaileh, the visits show that Jordan chose to “rebuild
its official political relationship with Israel”.
Jordan is acting out of fear that
conflict could spiral out of control in the West Bank, in response to the
confrontations in Jerusalem, “which would lead to societal collapse during
Ramadan”, he said adding: "Anything that happens in the West Bank would spill
into Jordan, just like it happened with Gaza last year. It will mobilize the
Jordanian street.”
According to him, the King met the
defense minister because “security officials have a better understanding of how
critical” inflaming spirits in the West Bank could be.
"Through this meeting, Jordan
is attempting to defuse a possible crisis by convincing the Israelis to ease
measures on the worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, since the atmosphere
is tense," Sabaileh said.
“In the post-COVID era, there is
high level of tension everywhere, as there is economic and political
frustration, inflation, and unemployment, all factors that could lead to
societal collapse,” he concluded.
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