Jordan says Israel-UAE deal hinges on future Israel steps

AMMAN: Jordan said Thursday that the Israeli-Emirati normalisation deal's impact on peace efforts would depend on Israel's actions, including its stance on a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi was reacting to the sudden announcement that Israel and the energy-rich Gulf state had agreed to a US-brokered deal to normalise ties.

As part of the deal, Israel said it would "suspend" annexing swathes of the occupied West Bank.

But Safadi, who did not welcome or reject the agreement, said that "the impact of the deal on peace efforts is linked to the actions Israel will take".

He said the Jewish state must end its "illegal actions" and its "violations of Palestinian rights".

He also urged Israel to engage in "direct, serious and active peace negotiations on the basis of a two-state solution" between Israel and the Palestinians.

Jordan in 1994 became the second Arab country, after Egypt, to signed a peace treaty with Israel. More than half of the tiny kingdom's population is of Palestinian descent.

Earlier this year, after US President Donald Trump gave Israel the green light to annex parts West Bank territory and Jewish settlements there, Jordan reacted angrily, with King Abdullah II warning of a "massive conflict" if the plan went ahead.

Safadi said Thursday that Jordan backs "any real effort that contributes to achieving comprehensive and just peace that ends Israeli occupation and meets the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people".

The kingdom, he added, will continue to work with its allies toward that goal.

But he insisted that the region was facing a "crossroads: either peace... or a conflict which Israel will be responsible for".