Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Saturday wished Jordan’s King Abdullah II and the Jordanian people a happy Eid al-Adha, and also conveyed Israel’s condolences for the deadly gas leak earlier this month in the port of Aqaba.
The two leaders discussed “strengthen[ing] and deepen[ing] cooperation” between the two countries, as well as the visit to the region this week of U.S. President Joe Biden and “regional challenges and opportunities,” according to a statement from Lapid’s office.
Biden is slated to arrive in Israel on July 13, where he is to meet with Lapid and Israeli President Issac Herzog before traveling to Bethlehem to meet with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas.
On Friday, Lapid called Abbas to discuss ongoing cooperation between Israel and the P.A., as well as the “need to ensure quiet and calm” ahead of and during Biden’s trip, according to Lapid’s office.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz traveled to Ramallah to meet with Abbas in an effort to calm tensions and coordinate security measures ahead of the U.S. president’s visit, according to Reuters.
