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King Abdullah II Reassures Abbas on Palestinian Cause

Jordanian King Abdullah II receives Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday in Amman (AFP)
Jordanian King Abdullah II receives Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday in Amman (AFP)
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King Abdullah II Reassures Abbas on Palestinian Cause

Jordanian King Abdullah II receives Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday in Amman (AFP)
Jordanian King Abdullah II receives Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday in Amman (AFP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed on Sunday with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman the Palestinian situation.

The meeting came as US President Joe Biden prepares to visit the region on July 13 and while Israel prepares for its upcoming elections.

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 sources expressed apprehension about the Arab-Israeli rapprochement that ended with an air alliance and ideas about a Middle Eastern NATO.

During his meeting with Abbas, the Jordanian King reaffirmed Jordan’s unwavering position towards the Palestinian cause and its support for the Palestinians in fulfilling their just and legitimate rights.

Abdullah assured that Jordan will always stands with the Palestinian people, and that nothing is more important to the Kingdom than the Palestinian cause.

The two officials had discussed at Al Husseiniya Palace in the Jordanian capital the latest political developments, bilateral relations, and issues of mutual concern, a Palestinian statement said.

“Wherever Jordan is present, the Palestinian cause will always be present,” Abbas said, as he reviewed the difficult situation in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

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 4 June 1967 lines, 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.

Jordan 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.

The king will attend a Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan with the US President in Jeddah.

He said Jordan will fully support the rights of the Palestinian people and their cause during the Summit.

Abdullah II reiterated that no progress can be made on regional economic cooperation without making progress in efforts to resolve the Palestinian cause.

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 PLO office in Washington, and remove the organization from the terrorism list.

He will also inform Biden that the current situation cannot be tolerated in the absence of a political horizon and international protection for the Palestinian people, warning that he will take actions if Washington remains silent.

Jordan’s King earlier said he would support the creation of a Middle East alliance similar to NATO.

He told CNBC that there is a growing sense in the region that nations facing similar threats need to work together.

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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam led a high-level ministerial delegation to Syria on Monday for talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the most significant diplomatic visit between the two countries since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.

"My visit to Damascus today aims to open a new page in the history of relations between the two countries, based on mutual respect, restoring trust, good neighborliness," Salam said in a statement on X.

At the center of discussions was implementing a March 28 agreement signed in Saudi Arabia by the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministers to demarcate land and sea borders and improve coordination on border security issues, Salam said in the statement.

The Lebanese-Syrian border witnessed deadly clashes earlier this year and years of unrest in the frontier regions, which have been plagued by weapons and illicit drug smuggling through illegal crossings.

During Monday’s meeting, Salam and Sharaa agreed to form a joint ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the border agreement, close illegal crossings and suppress smuggling activity along the border.

The border area, especially near Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Syria’s Qusayr region, has long been a corridor for illicit trade, arms trafficking, and the movement of fighters — including Hezbollah fighters who backed the Assad government during Syria’s 14-year civil war.

Hezbollah has been significantly weakened in its recent war with Israel and since Assad's ousting, it lost several key smuggling routes it once relied on for weapons transfers.

Lebanon also pressed Syria to provide clarity on the fate of thousands of Lebanese nationals who were forcibly disappeared or imprisoned in Syrian jails in the 1980s and 1990s, during Syria’s nearly 30-year military presence in Lebanon. Human rights groups have long documented the lack of accountability and transparency regarding these cases, with families of the missing holding regular demonstrations in Beirut demanding answers.

Syrian officials for their part raised the issue of Syrian nationals detained in Lebanese prisons, Salam said. Many of the detainees were arrested for illegal entry or alleged involvement in militant activity. Rights advocates in both countries have criticized the lack of due process in many of these cases and the poor conditions inside detention facilities.

Lebanon pledged to hand over people implicated in crimes committed by the Assad government and security forces, many of whom are believed to have fled to Lebanon after the government’s collapse, if found on Lebanese soil, a ministerial source told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly comment.

In return, Lebanese officials requested the extradition of Syrians wanted in Lebanese courts for high-profile political assassinations, "most notably those involved in the bombing of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques, those convicted of assassinating President Bashir Gemayel, and other crimes for which the Assad regime is accused," Salam said.

For decades, Lebanon witnessed a long series of politically motivated assassinations targeting journalists, politicians and security officials, particularly those opposed to Syrian influence. The 2013 twin bombings of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques in Tripoli in northern Lebanon killed more than 40 people and intensified sectarian tensions already heightened by the spillover from the Syrian war.

Syria has never officially acknowledged involvement in any of Lebanon’s political assassinations.

Salam said he also pushed for renewed cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees.

Lebanese government officials estimate the country hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, of whom about 755,000 are officially registered with the UN refugee agency, or UNHCR, making it the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

While Lebanese authorities have long urged the international community to support large-scale repatriation efforts, human rights organizations have cautioned against forced returns, citing ongoing security concerns and a lack of guarantees in Syria.

Since the fall of Assad in December, an estimated 400,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries, according to UNHCR, with about half of them coming from Lebanon, but many are hesitant to return because of the dire economic situation and fears of continuing instability in Syria.