Palestinian president, Jordan's king say Israeli measures in West Bank threaten two-state solution

By Aysar Alais

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II affirmed Monday that Israel’s latest measures regarding the occupied West Bank aim to undermine the institutions of the Palestinian state and the two-state solution.

The remarks came during a meeting between the two leaders in the Jordanian capital Amman to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian territories as well as a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern, according to Palestine’s official news agency Wafa.

The two sides strongly condemned recent decisions by the Israeli cabinet which they said aim to deepen annexation in the West Bank, expand settlements, and target the city of Hebron and the Ibrahimi Mosque, the report said.

They stressed that the Israeli measures constitute “a serious violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions and are intended to undermine Palestinian state institutions and the two-state solution.”

Abbas warned of “the risks posed by the decisions to regional security and stability, particularly amid concerns over Muslim and Christian holy sites and with the approach of the holy month of Ramadan,” the agency said.

He underscored “the importance of joint Palestinian-Jordanian efforts to address the situation and emphasized Jordan’s role in protecting holy sites under the Hashemite custodianship.”

Abbas also called on US President Donald Trump to renew his commitment to halting displacement and annexation in line with pledges made by his administration in September during discussions with Arab and Islamic leaders in New York about his 21-point plan aimed at ending the Gaza conflict.

He further called for urgent meetings of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the UN Security Council.

Abbas reiterated the need to begin implementing the second phase of Trump’s plan.

On Sunday, Israel’s security cabinet ordered the repealing of a law barring the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the West Bank, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring building permit authority in a Hebron settlement bloc from the Palestinian municipality to Israel’s civil administration.

The measures also expand Israeli oversight and enforcement into areas classified as Area A and Area B, citing alleged violations related to unlicensed construction, water issues and damage to archaeological and environmental sites.

The expansion would allow demolitions and seizures of Palestinian property even in areas administered civilly and security-wise by the Palestinian Authority.

According to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily, the measures are expected to bring sweeping changes to land registration and purchasing mechanisms in the West Bank.

Opening land records would publicly disclose owners’ names and enable Israeli buyers to contact them directly, easing land purchases and settlement expansion across the occupied territory, the outlet added.