The visit was the first by an Israeli prime minister in Amman since the death of Abdullah’s father, King Hussein, in 1999. The two leaders talked privately for an hour and dined together with officials after their meeting.
They agreed on the need to exhaust all efforts to follow the internationally-backed Road Map peace plan, which calls for the creation of a Palestinian Authority state but first requires cessation of all terrorism and hostilities toward Israel.
The two spoke to reporters afterwards, but did not provide specific statements about their discussion of Olmert’s withdrawal plan. Questions from the press were not allowed.
King Abdullah has been vocal in his objections to Olmert’s unilateral withdrawal plan and expressed his concerns to U.S. President George W. Bush in a meeting between the two leaders last week. He said Wednesday that Jordan could not serve as a “substitute homeland” for Arabs fleeing the Palestinian Authority. More than 70% of the current population in Jordan lived originally in areas now ruled by Israel and the PA.
A brief statement was made about humanitarian issues in the PA, with Abdullah making reference to the “deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation” in the PA territories. “We expressed Jordan’s desire for all parties to work together to guarantee the resumption of assistance to the Palestinian people,” he said. International funding to the PA was cut when terror group Hamas took over the government in a landslide election.
While the PA continues to claim hunger and impoverishment, however, some 111 truckloads of television sets have entered Gaza through the Karni Crossing over the past two weeks.
Olmert assured Abdullah after the meeting that he would meet soon with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, “in order to encourage the process that will enable us to exhaust progress in accordance with the Road Map.”
“Political stalemate in the Middle East is bad for Israel, is bad for Jordan and the region,” Olmert told reporters. “It is essential to avoid stagnation.”
The Hashemite monarch is deeply concerned that the security fence and other measures will trigger unrest among the kingdom’s Palestinian Arabs, who comprise a majority of the population.
Abdullah reiterated Jordan’s position that “a two-state solution solution is the only solution that [we] should seek. It is a solution that must be achieved through bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that are based on the Road Map,” he said.
The King threatened, in a news interview earlier in the week, that diplomatic relations with Israel will be ”damaged” if Olmert goes through with his unilateral withdrawal plan.
Olmert’s meeting at the royal palace was not welcomed by Jordanians in the street, with labor unions and opposition parties protesting the visit.
They agreed on the need to exhaust all efforts to follow the internationally-backed Road Map peace plan, which calls for the creation of a Palestinian Authority state but first requires cessation of all terrorism and hostilities toward Israel.
The two spoke to reporters afterwards, but did not provide specific statements about their discussion of Olmert’s withdrawal plan. Questions from the press were not allowed.
King Abdullah has been vocal in his objections to Olmert’s unilateral withdrawal plan and expressed his concerns to U.S. President George W. Bush in a meeting between the two leaders last week. He said Wednesday that Jordan could not serve as a “substitute homeland” for Arabs fleeing the Palestinian Authority. More than 70% of the current population in Jordan lived originally in areas now ruled by Israel and the PA.
A brief statement was made about humanitarian issues in the PA, with Abdullah making reference to the “deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation” in the PA territories. “We expressed Jordan’s desire for all parties to work together to guarantee the resumption of assistance to the Palestinian people,” he said. International funding to the PA was cut when terror group Hamas took over the government in a landslide election.
While the PA continues to claim hunger and impoverishment, however, some 111 truckloads of television sets have entered Gaza through the Karni Crossing over the past two weeks.
Olmert assured Abdullah after the meeting that he would meet soon with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, “in order to encourage the process that will enable us to exhaust progress in accordance with the Road Map.”
“Political stalemate in the Middle East is bad for Israel, is bad for Jordan and the region,” Olmert told reporters. “It is essential to avoid stagnation.”
The Hashemite monarch is deeply concerned that the security fence and other measures will trigger unrest among the kingdom’s Palestinian Arabs, who comprise a majority of the population.
Abdullah reiterated Jordan’s position that “a two-state solution solution is the only solution that [we] should seek. It is a solution that must be achieved through bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that are based on the Road Map,” he said.
The King threatened, in a news interview earlier in the week, that diplomatic relations with Israel will be ”damaged” if Olmert goes through with his unilateral withdrawal plan.
Olmert’s meeting at the royal palace was not welcomed by Jordanians in the street, with labor unions and opposition parties protesting the visit.