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Jordan’s King Abdullah II Meets with Israel’s Herzog in Amman

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (DPA)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog (DPA)
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Jordan’s King Abdullah II Meets with Israel’s Herzog in Amman

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (DPA)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog (DPA)

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II this week at his palace in Amman, the president’s office announced in a statement on Wednesday.

“During the warm meeting, held at king Abdullah's invitation, the President and the king discussed deep strategic issues, at both bilateral and regional levels,” the statement read.

The two leaders discussed maintaining stable bilateral ties and “the need for dialogue with all actors in the region.”

The meeting took place ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to the region and at a time of increasing talk of security cooperation between Israel and Arab countries.

Herzog’s office said that the visit had been coordinated with the Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s offices, among other offices.

Jordanian officials told Channel 12 that the visit is “important” as it was held ahead of key developments in the region.

“It also comes in the wake of a series of visits that bolstered Jordanian-Israeli relations,” they said.

Earlier this week, Jordanian King held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman.

Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting carried a Jordanian affirmation that any political developments in the region would not be at the expense of the Palestinians.

The two sides agreed that the only way to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is through the two-state solution, which guarantees the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Abdullah II and Abbas also said that the next step required is to cease unilateral measures to open the way to resuming negotiations in the future.

Amman is in constant communication with Washington and is working to have the Palestinian cause at the top of Biden’s agenda during his visit to the region next month, Abdullah II said.

King Abdullah will attend a Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan with Biden in Jeddah.

Biden is expected to meet with Abbas in Bethlehem, as well as with Israeli officials in Israel.

Palestinian sources said that during his meeting with the US President next month, Abbas plans to ask for US pressure on Israel to make it stop unilateral actions, push the peace process forward, reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem, reopen the Palestinian Liberation Office in Washington, and remove the organization from the terrorism list.

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Arab World

Hezbollah Shuffles its Cards, Adheres to Weapons Control

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. (Reuters)
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. (Reuters)
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Hezbollah Shuffles its Cards, Adheres to Weapons Control

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. (Reuters)
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. (Reuters)

The rhetoric of Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief on Saturday reaffirmed the party's commitment to its weapons and contradicted the positive atmospheres prevailing in the country after the election of General Jospeh Aoun as President, and the designation of international judge Nawaf Salam to form the new government.

On Saturday, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, stated that "the resistance in Lebanon will remain resilient against the American-Israeli project, continuing to be strong, ready, and loyal to the blood of the martyrs in its mission to liberate the land and Palestine".

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in a conflict parallel to the Gaza war in November. That ceasefire, which was brokered by the United States and France, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, and for Hezbollah to remove all its fighters and weapons from the south.

Both sides have since accused each other of breaching the ceasefire.

"Don't test our patience and I call on the Lebanese state to deal firmly with these (Israeli) violations that have exceeded 100," Qassem said in a speech delivered during the 13th International Conference titled "Gaza, Symbol of Resistance".

He added saying that the party emerged from the war “with our heads held high”, and that plans to utilize the resistance and its weapons should be discussed within the defense strategy and through dialogue.

He emphasized that "no one will be able to exploit the results of the (Israeli) aggression for internal political gains, as the political process is separate from the status of the resistance".

Qassem's stance comes just days before Israel is set to withdraw from the south, a move that, according to Ghayas Yazbek, a member of the Lebanese Forces bloc, is "dangerous" and will lead to negative consequences for Lebanon. He “is provoking a new Israeli war on Lebanon", he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Qassem’s remarks about insisting on holding on to weapons and to the separation of Resolution 1701 between the southern and northern parts of the Litani River contradict the ceasefire agreement, mainly that these statements come just days before Israel’s planned withdrawal from the areas it occupied in southern Lebanon on January 27, and on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President. This could trigger a dangerous escalation from Israel”, Yazbek said.

Qassem’s statement is also an attempt to undermine the credibility of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who had conveyed positive vibes regarding the formation of the new government. The President and the Prime Minister-designate had affirmed that no party in Lebanon will be excluded from the upcoming government.

“Qassem’s rhetoric is a severe blow to the new presidency and premiership”, Yazbek stated, describing it as "an act of blackmail” akin to the tactics Hezbollah employed before the war.

The Secretary-General's remarks coincided with the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Beirut and came just hours after the official visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Lebanon.

"Naim Qassem's speech raises concerns among friendly and sisterly countries that have pledged to provide full support to the Lebanese state, and it represents a negative message toward President Macron, who spoke on behalf of the international community”, said Yazbek.

The MP added that the rhetoric “reflects narrow, sectarian agenda of the Shiite community, which has once again entangled the country in crises from which it is desperately trying to extricate itself”.

Sami Nader, Director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, downplayed the impact of Qassem’s rhetoric on the positive atmospheres prevailing in Lebanon.

Qassem’s remarks are "an attempt to absorb the setback the party faced, a preemptive move regarding the ministerial statement and its potential participation in the new government, as well as a way to gauge the contents of the ministerial statement and interpret the issue of restricting weapons to the state”, Nader told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The nomination of Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam had angered Hezbollah, which accused opponents of seeking to exclude it.
Salam was nominated by a majority of lawmakers last week to form a government but did not win the backing of the Shiite parties Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
Salam said the formation of a new government would not be delayed, indicating a positive atmosphere in discussions over its composition.