Jordan’s Abdullah, Israel’s Herzog Meet in Amman Ahead of Ramadan

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog traveled to Amman to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. An official ceremony on Wednesday began with an honor guard against the backdrop of Israeli and Jordanian flags. At the start of their meeting, Abdullah condemned the recent terror attacks, including one the previous evening in Bnei Brak in central Israel that left 5 dead, and expressed his condolences to the victims’ families. “As we enter these holy days, for all three religions, with Easter, Passover and, of course Ramadan, we must move towards enabling everyone to practice their beliefs in safety, in security, in calm circumstances. This is what we need to work towards, and we know that there is a constant dialogue between the Israeli Government and your government towards that goal, as well as all other partners in the region,” Herzog said. “I always say, the fact that Muslim leaders are meeting together Jewish leaders and Israeli leaders is an alternative to the abyss of hatred and bloodshed. And therefore we move forward with partnerships, with dialogue, towards peace and prosperity for the benefit of all peoples of the region, including our nations and including our Palestinian neighbors,” the Israeli president added. The meeting comes a day after Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz met Abdullah in Amman in order to discuss the situation in the West Bank and east Jerusalem ahead of Ramadan, which begins at the end of the week. At the beginning of this week, Abdullah met in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, becoming the only Arab country with full normalized relations not to meet at the Negev Summit with Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.