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- Jordan's king warns of 'massive conflict' if Israel moves on annexation
Jordan's king warns of 'massive conflict' if Israel moves on annexation
Abdullah II warns annexation could bring down Palestinian Authority, spells 'chaos and extremism' for region
King Abdullah II of Jordan warned that Israel will set off on a course to a "massive conflict" with the Hashemite kingdom if it goes ahead with the plans to apply sovereignty to West Bank areas under the Peace to Prosperity plan by the US President Donald Trump.
In an interview for Germany's Der Spiegel, published Friday, the king refused to explicitly say that the move would torpedo the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty -- but did not deny that either, saying that the country was "considering all options."
Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein highlighted the timing of the push for the annexation as especially troubling, pointing at the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
"Should we really discuss the prospect of a one-state solution amidst the coronavirus pandemic?" he asked, pointing that cooperation against the disease would be a more welcome topic.
His Majesty warned that annexation would plunge the region into "chaos and extremism," possibly bringing the Palestinian Authority down.
Under the peace plan rolled out by the Trump administration earlier, Israel is given a green light to apply sovereignty to a number of West Bank areas, including Jordan Valley and the Jewish settlements in exchange for swathes of land in the Negev area slated to join the Gaza Strip.
A joint Israeli-American panel is working on hammering out the details and mapping out the lands slated for annexation, with the step possibly put to vote this summer.