Daoud Kuttab

AMMAN: Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi made an unannounced visit to the West Bank on Thursday to convey a “historic message” of support to Palestine amid Israeli plans to annex parts of the territory.

In a high-profile meeting, Safadi delivered a message of support from Jordan’s King Abdullah to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas backing Palestine’s opposition to the Israeli proposal.

Safadi, who was accompanied by director of Jordanian intelligence Maj. Gen. Ahmed Husni, met with Palestinian intelligence chief Majdi Faraj and Abbas’s political adviser Majdi Khalidi, as well as Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein Sheikh.

Speaking after the meeting, Safadi said that Jordan’s support for the Palestinian stance remains strong.

“Our position is steadfast and historic. Jordan, with continuous direction from the king, stands alongside our Palestinian brethren in support of their legitimate rights,” he said.

Both Jordan and the Palestinians strongly object to the Israeli plan and have been lobbying against it.

Safadi criticized annexation as an act of “destruction” of the two-state solution.

“It blows up the very basis of the peace process, and will deny the people of the region their right to live in peace, security and stability,” he said.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki said that the meeting “focused on ways to prevent Israel from annexing large parts of the occupied Palestinian territories and to coordinate joint action to reach our goal.”