Jordan’s King Abdullah warned on Tuesday that Israel extending its sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, and parts of Judea and Samaria, would undermine regional stability.
“Any unilateral Israeli measure to annex lands in the West Bank is unacceptable and undermines the prospects of achieving peace and stability in the region,” said Abdullah, according to Reuters.
Speaking during a video conference with U.S. congressional leaders and committees, the king said that peace would only come with the creation of an “independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state” with its capital in Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to extend Israeli sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, starting in July, under the aegis of the Trump administration’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan.
Jordan has a large Palestinian population, and what occurs in Judea and Samaria affects its own security situation.
Some Jordanian politicians have demanded that the Israel-Jordan peace treaty be suspended and a multibillion-dollar gas deal with Israel canceled over the planned Israeli move, according to the report.
European Union foreign ministers on Monday urged the United States to join a new effort to restart stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but rejected the U.S. peace plan as the basis for any international process.
