Foreign Minister and Prime Minister-designate Yair Lapid met with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on Thursday in an effort to calm tensions in Jerusalem ahead of the coming Jewish, Muslims, and Christian holidays.
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The meeting in the Jordanian capital was a new sign of warming relations between the neighboring Middle East nations.
"The peace between us isn't just good neighborliness, but is also our moral responsibility to both our peoples," Lapid said in remarks released by the Foreign Ministry.
"We agreed that we must work together to calm tensions and promote understanding," Lapid said after the meeting, "particularly in the lead-up to the month of Ramadan and Passover."
Lapid thanked Abdullah for bolstering ties and cooperation.
Abdullah said that maintaining peace means resuming talks toward a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. There have been no substantive talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in more than a decade.
According to the Jordanian government, Abdullah emphasized the need to "ramp up the pace of efforts toward a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of a two-state solution that will ensure the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and sustainable Palestinian state on the basis of 1967 lines, with east Jerusalem as its capital."
The two discussed regional and international issues and progress in efforts to normalize ties between Arab states and Israel as well as joint trade and renewable energy projects.
The two spoke ahead of the anniversary of last year's clashes between Israeli police and Muslim protesters in Jerusalem that Hamas used as a pretext to launch a rocket barrage at the country. Israel launched Operation Guardian of the Walls in response to those attacks.
Tensions are once again on the rise. On Monday, a Palestinian stabbed two police officers in Jerusalem's Old City before he was shot and killed by police. It was the second such incident in as many days.
This year, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincides with the Jewish holiday of Passover and the Christian celebration of Easter. Jordan administers the Al Aqsa Mosque, built on a contested hilltop compound that is a frequent flashpoint in the ancient city holy to the three monotheistic faiths.
Meanwhile, senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh announced he had met with Lapid and "emphasized to him the need for diplomatic restrain based on the signed accords, the decisions of international legitimacy, and the cessation of unilateral steps that delay the two-state solution." According to al-Sheikh, the two also discussed regional and international issues.
On Tuesday, al-Sheikh held a working meeting with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Ghasan Alyan. Following their meeting, the Palestinian official announced 1,500 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank would have their status regulated and would receive Palestinian identification cards and passports.
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