King Abdullah II of Jordan was interviewed on CNN on Sunday and confirmed that he has met with two senior Israeli officials, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, in recent weeks.
"I came out of those meetings feeling very encouraged. We’ve seen in the last couple of weeks not only a better understanding between Israel and Jordan but voices coming out from both Israel and Palestine that we need to move forward and reset that relationship," the King said.
"We must bring about the restoration of contacts between Israel and the Palestinians, even though the conditions are not optimal for the implementation of a two-state solution," said the King of Jordan.
The recent clashes between Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis, he asserted, “was a wake-up call for the people of Israel and the people of Palestine that unless we move along, unless we give hope to the Palestinians, and part of the discussions that we’ve had with our Israeli counterparts is how do we invest in the livelihoods of Palestinians. Because if they lose hope, the next war is going to be even more damaging.”
Asked if he expects more Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel in the wake of the Abraham Accords, King Abdullah replied, “I don’t know which country is going to be next, but I’ve noticed the trend from Arab countries that are looking at their national security interests and that see the option of having a relationship with Israel is in their vested interest.”
At the same time, he added, “The war was a reality check to all of us that even though the Abraham Accords may expand, you can’t do it at the expense of the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and discussions on their future.”