Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu pledged to “change facts on the ground” in a meeting Thursday with Jordanian King Abdullah. Israel will negotiate with the Palestinian Authority, he told the Jordanian leader.
The Prime Minister did not agree to Abdullah's demand that he accept a PA state “immediately.” Abdullah also demanded that Netanyahu accept the Arab peace initiative, which calls on Israel to give the PA Judea, Samaria and historic Jerusalem, and to accept millions of foreign Arabs descended from Arabs who fled pre-state Israel.
Instead of responding directly to Abdullah's demands, Netanyahu focused on his plan to strengthen the PA's economy and armed forces in order to ensure that the PA will be capable of self-rule. “I plan to hold diplomatic, security and economic negotiations,” he said.
The forms of negotiations will not interfere with each other, he said.
Netanyahu and Abdullah agreed to meet again following Netanyahu's scheduled meeting with United States President Barack Obama next week. The Thursday meeting was scheduled in order to allow the two leaders to coordinate policies in advance of Netanyahu's trip.