Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah II
Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah IIArutz Sheva: Flash 90

Jordan’s King Abdullah II will meet Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, PA officials told AFP on Sunday.

“King Abdullah II will visit Ramallah tomorrow for a meeting with president Abbas and the two leaders will hold a press conference at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah on the latest political developments,” the French news agency quoted a senior PA official as having said.

“We consider this visit an important part of King Abdullah’s support for president Abbas on the direction of Palestinian policy as well as for the Palestinian people, particularly under the current circumstances,” the official added.

Jordan’s state Petra news agency confirmed the planned visit and said, “King Abdullah II will on Monday visit Ramallah for talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the framework of Jordan’s efforts to support the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian people.”

The official news agency added that the visit will express support for efforts “to achieve peace and the creation of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders [1949 armistice lines –ed.].”

Details of the visit were announced shortly before Abbas was due to fly to Cairo to meet Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on implementing the reconciliation deal the two parties signed in May.

Abdullah recently told participants at the World Economic Forum that Israel must be assured of its security.

During the two-day conference held on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea, the Jordanian king said a peace deal between Israel and the PA must ensure Israel’s security and acceptance, and lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

He also criticized those who he said sought to close the door to peace, saying he was “more pessimistic than ever” at the possibility that Israel and the PA would work out a deal. He claimed Israel was not really interested in a two state solution. A “one state solution,” he said, would be bad for the entire region, he added.