Israeli President Isaac Herzog met Wednesday (March 30) in Amman with King Abdullah II of Jordan as the Jewish state faces a wave of violence that worries the authorities as Ramadan approaches, the month of Muslim fasting beginning at the end of week.
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Isaac Herzog’s displacement comes a day after a shooting attack by a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank that killed five near Tel Aviv, the third in a week in the Jewish state, bringing to 11 the total number of Israeli casualties. “Jordan condemns violence in all its formsAbdallah II said during his meeting with the Israeli president, according to a statement from the royal palace. “This conflict has gone on far too long and the resulting violence provides fertile ground for radicalism“, added the king, saying that”Palestinians and Israelis pay the price“.
Isaac Herzog stressed to him on Wednesday the need to “continue the dialogue with all partners in the region” and of “allow the practice of beliefs safely and calmly“. “Muslim leaders meeting Jewish and Israeli leaders is an alternative to the abyss of hatred and bloodshedsaid Isaac Herzog according to a statement from his office. On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was also received by the King of Jordan, whose country is the guardian of Muslim holy sites in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian sector of the city occupied by Israel since 1967.
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Last year, clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters during Ramadan in Jerusalem, including on the Al-Masjid compound, led to a deadly 11-day war between the Islamists of Hamas, in power in Gaza, and the Israeli army. During the interview with Benny Gantz, the king called “to remove any obstacles to the prayer of Muslims in the Al-Masjid (in East Jerusalem) and to prevent provocations which could lead to an escalation“. The Esplanade des Mosques is the third holiest site in Islam whose entrances are controlled by Israeli forces. Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, the second Arab country to do so after Egypt in 1979.