Egypt, Jordan throw weight behind 2-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict

JEDDAH/CAIRO: The leaders of Egypt and Jordan reaffirmed their continued support Tuesday for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after US President Donald Trump suggested abandoning it.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdallah discussed the issue and coordination of their positions on the Middle East peace process at a meeting in Cairo, a statement from El-Sisi’s office said.

Trump suggested at a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week that he was open to new ways to achieve peace that did not necessarily entail the creation of a Palestinian state, a benchmark of US policy for decades.

"The two sides discussed ways to push the stagnant Middle East peace process, especially in light of US President Donald Trump's administration coming to power," a presidency statement said.

"They also discussed mutual coordination to reach a two-state solution and establish a Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as a capital, which is a national constant that cannot be given up."

Akram Khamis, an Egyptian researcher on the Arab-Israeli conflict, said the Egyptian-Jordanian position is part of the



ongoing coordination between the two moderate Arab states to reiterate their support for the two-state solution in any upcoming negotiations.

Khamis told Arab News that the stance of President El-Sisi and King Abdallah supports the position of Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, who stressed in Rome on Monday the Kingdom’s support for a Palestinian state. Al-Jubeir said there is a peace agreement calling for a settlement based on two states “living side by side in peace and security.”

He noted that Israel has been trying since the international peace conference hosted by Paris to revive the peace process to sabotage any international efforts for the two-state solution.

Khamis said that Israel also refuses to seriously engage in core issues such as the status of Jerusalem, refugees and settlements.

“Israel continues its discourse of seeking to coordinate the fight against terror, while maintaining that the Palestinian Authority is breeding terrorism.”

Most Arab countries call for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders before Israel seized the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. Netanyahu has described the 1967 lines as indefensible and has said Israel would never return to them.