EILAT, Israel – Jordan’s new king paid his first state visit to Israel yesterday – and promptly urged a dual-capital solution for Jerusalem.
“I believe on the political levels that Jerusalem has enough room for a Palestinian and an Israeli capital,” King Abdullah II told Israeli TV. “On the religious side, I believe that Jerusalem should be a city for all of us – an open city.”
Abdullah refused any high-profile receptions during his visit, which had originally been scheduled for February, but was delayed because of fighting between Israel and Lebanese guerrillas.
The king chose to meet Prime Minister Ehud Barak in Eliat, a southern Red Sea resort. The meeting lasted only four hours.
The young king, whose country reached a peace agreement with Israel in 1994, told Barak that collapsed talks with Syria and the troubled Palestinian issue were making it harder for him to maintain warm ties.
The concept of trading land for peace, he told the prime minister, “has been accepted by all parties since 1991 and must continue to guide us.”
The Palestinians say Israel is not offering them enough of the West Bank, and Syria wants a prior commitment that Israel will return the disputed Golan Heights.
Barak says he first wants to see the security arrangements the Syrians have to offer.
Since taking power in March of last year, Abdullah has tried to restore Jordan’s ties with the Arabs, strained by his late father King Hussein’s pronounced pro-Western outlook.
Yesterday, Barak seemed sensitive to that position. “We are aware that social and economic processes are by definition slow and require determination and perseverance.”
But Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Shimon Peres said Abdullah should have visited sooner and come to Jerusalem.
But Abdullah said he didn’t want to visit while tensions were high.