FM says no crisis in ties with Palestine, GCC

AMMAN — The Jordanian-Palestinian ties are  “at their best” and the Palestinian issue is still the Kingdom’s top priority, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Saturday.

Judeh added that “regardless of conflicts and incidents” in the neighbourhood, “the Palestinian cause remains the core regional issue” as far as Jordan is concerned.

The minister was speaking at a press meeting where he responded to several questions about issues of interest to the country.

Recent reports have pointed to a crisis in Jordanian-Palestinian ties, but the minister denied that as baseless.

In a recent meeting in Amman with Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said that Jordanian-Palestinian ties are as strong as ever, “not being disturbed by anything”.

The meeting was a rare encounter at this high level in months.

In that meeting Ensour said that both sides “should not allow anything to disturb the brotherly and close ties between the two countries and people”.

Ensour was referring to developments that followed the FIFA elections, when the Palestinian Football Association chief Jibreel Rjoub reportedly voted against HRH Prince Ali and celebrated the win of his rival, Sepp Blatter, in a way seen provocative by Jordanians. 

During the May meetings of the World Economic Forum, Ensour expressed in remarks to the press his concerns over reported back-channel, Oslo-style negotiations between the Palestinian leadership and Israel, warning that any Palestinian state that would emerge from a possible deal would be “weak”.

Also on Saturday, Judeh described the ties with the Gulf countries as excellent, also amid reports that the relationship between the Kingdom and the Gulf allies has been undergoing a crisis, especially with Saudi Arabia.

Judeh stressed that there is “a high level coordination” between the Kingdom and GCC countries without further elaboration on the issue.