Jordan Says Israeli-Arab Deals No Substitute for 2-State Solution

Jordan warned Israel on Tuesday that recent normalization deals between the Jewish state and Arab countries could not replace a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue.

"Peace accords signed by Israel and Arab countries, including the peace treaty with Jordan, cannot be a substitute for the resolution of the Palestinian question," said Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in a statement.

"There is no alternative to a two-state solution as a route to a just and comprehensive peace."

Safadi made the remarks during a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Under deals brokered last year by the administration of former U.S. president Donald Trump, four Arab countries -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan -- normalized ties with Israel.

Before that, only Egypt, in 1979, and Jordan, in 1994, had done so.

Israeli-Palestinian talks have been stalled since 2014.

Safadi reiterated the long-held international consensus that a "just and comprehensive peace" would require "an independent Palestinian state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital", according to the statement from his ministry.

He also emphasized "the need to stop constructing and expanding (Israeli) settlements, demolishing (Palestinian) homes, and other illegal practices that undermine the two-state solution and all chances of reaching just peace -- without which the region will not enjoy security and stability."

The two ministers, who held a rare meeting in the same location in early December, also discussed water, transport, border traffic and trade issues.