Israeli president Shimon Peres visited Amman last Monday, and held talks with King Abdullah II of Jordan about reviving the Israel-Palestinian peace talks. It followed very shortly after King Abdullah visited Ramallah to discuss the stalling issues with the Palestinian authority. Peres’ visit was strongly criticized by Jordanian civil society, particularly in light of continued Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and especially with the recent controversy around the destruction of Al-Mughrabi Bridge in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Of course neither the Israeli president nor the Jordanian king has the key to the solution. The Arab league produced a workable plan for peace in the Middle East in 2002. The onus is now on the Israeli government and Knesset to do the same. Diplomatic talks alone will not do much progress, it’s actions that will get us closer to peace.
