King Abdullah: West Bank annexation will harm Israel ties with Jordan and Egypt
Jordanian monarch says that different set of laws for Jews and for Christians and Muslims will constitute an apartheid state and fuel disruption in the Mideast; warns focus will resume on two-state solution once new government is formed in Jerusalem
The king, who is heading to the annual UN General Assembly in New York, told MSNBC that Egyptian-Israeli relations will also be adversely impacted.
"We are the two only Arab countries that have peace with Israel," the king warned. Egypt and Israel signed a peace deal in 1979, some 15 years before Amman followed suit.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to annex parts of the West Bank during his campaign leading up to last week's national elections.
“A statement like that does not help at all, because we who want peace and want to be able to move forward tend to be more isolated,” the Jordanian monarch said.
“Where are we going to go unless we are going to be able to get Israelis and Palestinians to come together, to live together, and be the message for the future?” he said.
Abdullah said that once a new government is formed in Israel, countries in the region and the international community will once again focus on "what most of us believe is the only solution: the two-state solution.”
“If we are talking about an apartheid Israel with laws that are different for Jews and different for Christians and Muslims, that will continue to add fuel to the disruption in the Middle East,” the king warned.
The Jordanian king is set to address the General Assembly on Tuesday.
