By Laith al-Junaidi
AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Jordan and Egypt on Wednesday reiterated their support for the Palestinian national cause, two days after Israel adopted a law legalizing thousands of settlement homes in the occupied West Bank.
“The Palestinian cause is a priority for all of us,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi told a joint press conference held with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Amman.
Shoukry arrived in the Jordanian capital Tuesday for talks with Jordanian officials.
He is scheduled to meet with King Abdullah II later on Wednesday.
His visit comes one day after the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) retroactively legalized a number of Jewish-only outposts built on Palestinian land in the West Bank — considered illegal under international law.
“We condemn any unilateral action that undermines the two-state solution,” al-Safadi said. “[Israeli] Settlement building is an obstacle to efforts aimed at reviving peace.”
Shoukry, for his part, said Cairo and Amman were working to “guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of a Palestinian state”.
Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab countries to have full diplomatic relations with Israel.
The new Israeli legislation has drawn widespread criticism from Palestinians and the international community, who see it as threatening a “two-state solution” to the perennial Palestine-Israel dispute.
Having voiced opposition to the law earlier, Israeli Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit is now considering testifying against the legislation, according to Israel’s Channel 2 television network.
Mandelblit reportedly believes the law will only serve to raise the possibility of Israel being investigated by the International Criminal Court.
