Jordan’s King Abdullah expects to host talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as soon as next month, he said in an interview Sunday. Abdullah said that a “window of opportunity” would soon open, and it was necessary to take advantage of it.
That “window” would commence after the inauguration of Barack H. Obama as President of the U.S. for a second term. Abdullah said that Jordan was coordinating with France and other European countries to come up with fresh ideas to implement an agreement between Israel and the PA. He expected Obama to ply a role in the talks as well.
In the interview with French weekly Le Nouvelle Observateur, Abdullah said that action was needed immediately, and the U.S. needed to pay attention to the Middle East, even as it battled its own difficult domestic problems. “We don’t have another four years to wait for a new American president. We have a moral responsibility to show that negotiations work and that they, and not rockets and aerial attacks, produce results,” Abdullah said.
Jordanian media reported last month that Abdullah would host talks between Israel and the PA in January or February. So far no talks have been scheduled. Israel and the PA last held direct talks in 2010.