Jordan's parliament
Jordan's parliamentReuters

The Jordanian parliament declared on Saturday that it was against Israel’s demand that the Palestinian Authority (PA) recognize it as Jewish state.

In a statement carried by the Jordanian Petra news agency, the Lower House of the Parliament outlined its “fundamental position on the Palestinian issue” and said it was rejecting Israel's demand for being recognized as a Jewish state.

The statement emphasized the need to establish an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders, with eastern Jerusalem as its capital.

The House also said it rejects any final deal that fails to address all core issues according to "international legitimacy" resolutions and the terms of reference of the peace process, namely the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, according to Petra.

The statement stressed that “a final status solution concerning refugees, Jerusalem, security, water and settlements should take into account Jordan's higher interests, adding that it would totally reject any arrangements or frameworks that did not safeguard and meet all Jordanian national interests or undermined its security and territorial safety.”

It made clear that "any change of the city's demography is a blatant violation of the international law and a gross breach of international resolutions." The legislature said it stood behind His Abdullah's efforts “to reach a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause,” reported Petra.

The statement comes several days after Jordan’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Judeh, said he was against recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said several times that the root of the Arab-Israeli conflict is not a territorial one and is based on the Arabs’ refusal to recognize the Jewish state. He has said that PA recognition of Israel is essential to a peace agreement.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has refused to recognize Israel. This week he reiterated that refusal and said that recognizing a Jewish state would be "out of the question." He also said that Egypt and Jordan were not required to recognize Israel when they signed a peace treaty with it.

The PA’s chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, insisted this week that the PA's refusal to recognize a Jewish state stems from the fact that Israel maintains control over Judea and Samaria.

"We recognize the State of Israel, but we have not heard Israel recognize the state of Palestine within the 1967 borders," Erekat claimed.