Israel’s Netanyahu meets King Abdullah in Jordan for rare talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held rare talks with King Abdullah II of Jordan during an unannounced visit to Amman on Monday, official sources in the two countries said.

The two leaders discussed the stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, the Jordanian royal court said in a statement.

Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab countries to have peace treaties with Israel, and Monday’s visit was Netanyahu’s first to the kingdom since 2014.

“The king and the prime minister discussed regional developments as well as advancing the peace process and bilateral relations,” the Israeli leader’s spokesman Ofir Gendelman tweeted.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israel's commitment to maintaining the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem,” he added.

Under the status quo agreement, only Muslims are allowed to pray at the Al-Aqsa/Temple Mount site, while Jews may visit but not pray -- instead worshipping at the Western Wall.

Israel and Jordan signed a treaty ending 46 years of aggression in 1994 that recognizes the kingdom’s “historic role” in the management of holy Muslim sites in Jerusalem.