With annexation pending, US and Jordan discuss strategic partnership
Jordan has warned that annexation could harm and possibly annul its 1994 peace treaty with Israel.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with King Abdullah of Jordan (R) during his visit to Amman, Jordan, January 8, 2019(photo credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/POOL VIA REUTERS)
With annexation pending, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the strategic partnership between the two countries as well as issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.“Always good to talk with His Majesty @KingAbdullahII. Our steadfast partnership is grounded in a shared commitment to regional peace and stability. We value Jordan’s close friendship, and we continue to stand together in the fight against COVID-19,” Pompeo tweeted after Thursday’s conversation.The two countries have a strong bilateral relationship, but they are at odds over US President Donald Trump’s peace plan. Jordan is opposed to the plan’s provision for Israel to annex 30% of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley.Jordan has warned that such a step could harm and possibly annul its 1994 peace treaty with Israel.In their readouts from the conversation, however, neither leader mentioned the word annexation or the discord it has created between them.The State Department said, “Secretary Pompeo reaffirmed the strength of the US-Jordan bilateral relationship, underscored the importance of steadfast partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanked King Abdullah for Jordan’s generosity in sending medical supplies to the United States. The two also discussed several matters of mutual interest, including developments in Syria.”The Jordan News Agency reported that aside from their cooperation to halt the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategic partnership, the two leaders also spoke of regional issues, with King Abdullah stressing Jordan’s position on such matters, particularly with regard to the Palestinians.Israel is waiting for a green light from Washington to move forward with a sovereignty plan, but to date, the US has yet to give its approval for such a move.The coalition agreement between the Likud and Blue and White parties allows Israel to move forward on annexation as early as July 1.On Wednesday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell continued his campaign against pending Israeli annexation plans, warning it would harm EU-Israeli cooperation.
“Together with my fellow European ministers, we will spare no diplomatic efforts to help Israel understand the risks of proceeding with the unilateral annexation of parts of the West Bank,” Borrell said in a statement he issued on Wednesday night that echoed an opinion he had published in The Jerusalem Post last month.“Europe and Israel are so close geographically, culturally, economically. It is in no one’s interest for this relationship to retract,” said Borrell in a blog post.He warned that Israeli annexation would violate international law, damage any possibility of a two-state resolution to the conflict, destabilize the region and harm Israel’s security.“As someone with a personal connection to the region, I have emphasized, both in my private conversations with Israeli leaders and in public, that annexation would put at risk good cooperation with Israel,” Borrell said. “This is clearly not what we want.”At the same time, he said, the EU “cannot and will not recognize changes to the pre-1967 borders that are not agreed by both parties to the conflict.”Borrell speaks in the name of the EU, but any new concrete action would need the approval of all 27 EU members, who, at present, are divided on the topic. What is more likely is that EU members who strongly oppose annexation would likely prevent any new bilateral EU agreements with Israel, which also need the full approval of all 27 members, thereby effectively freezing the ties between the two parties.
