Jordanian King Cancels Romania Trip over PM’s Jerusalem Declaration

Jordan’s King Abdullah II cancelled a visit to Romania in response to a promise by that country’s prime minister to move the Romanian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Prime Minister Viorca Dancila’s announcement, made Sunday at the annual pro-Israel AIPAC conference in Washington, deviated from the stance of both the European Union and Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis. Iohannis says he opposes the move, citing international law, adding that it would require his approval. Abdullah has repeatedly said that Jerusalem is key to achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and has called for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state, with its capital in the holy city. In 1994, Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel that recognized the kingdom as the custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City. Recent tensions on an Old City plaza holy to both Jews and Muslims led the Jordanian parliament to recommend that the government expel Israel’s ambassador. Abdullah emphasized on March 20 that Jerusalem was “a red line” for the kingdom, a stance he said will not change.