Intel: Jordan’s King Abdullah pushes Congress to oppose West Bank annexation
Jordan’s King Abdullah virtually met with several key lawmakers today, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to reiterate his opposition to “any unilateral measure to annex lands in the West Bank” as laid out under President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
Jordan’s King Abdullah met virtually with several key lawmakers today, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to reiterate his opposition to “any unilateral measure to annex lands in the West Bank” as laid out under President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
“At meetings held via conference calls with US Congressional leaders and committees, attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, King Abdullah stressed the importance of establishing an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the Jordanian Royal Court said in a readout.
In addition to McConnell, the king spoke with lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee as well as the Senate and House foreign aid panels.
Why it matters: Abdullah recently refused a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because of his push to annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank as well as the entire Jordan Valley. While Netanyahu had hoped to move forward with annexation in July, he said Monday that the Trump administration wanted the prime minister’s rival Blue and White coalition partners on board first.
