Jordan King: Arab Spring Should Drive Israeli Government to 'Embrace Peace'
King Abdullah II speaks to AIPAC delegation and calls on Israel to stop measures that hinder peace efforts with the Palestinians.
Jordan's king warned Monday that the failure to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians is adding to regional tensions.
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A statement from the royal palace said King Abdullah II told a delegation from the Washington-based American Israel Public Affairs Committee that regional changes tied to the Arab Spring should "drive" the Israeli government to "embrace peace."
In his talks Monday with the pro-Israel group, the king also called on Israel to stop measures that he said hinder peace efforts, including West Bank settlement construction.
Abdullah urged Israel, the Palestinians and the U.S. to resume peacemaking efforts. He called for direct talks based on a two-state solution, which envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state.
He said it remains the "only formula" to end the 65-year old conflict.
Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a secret meeting in Jordan with King Abdullah, according to senior Israeli officials.
The meeting reportedly focused on the possibility that Syrian President Bashar Assad would use chemical weapons against rebels in the ongoing sectarian conflict raging in that country.
Earlier in December, Jordan condemned Israeli construction plans in the E-1 corridor between Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim, saying it was unacceptable and will prevent a territorially contiguous Palestinian state.