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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Ramallah - Kifah Zboun

Egypt, Jordan Pressure US over Two-State Solution

Palestinian residents watch as young men try to unblock a drain in an inundated street, following torrential rains that hit the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza strip, on January 16, 2022. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP)

Egypt and Jordan resumed their initiatives to advance the peace plan in the region after coordinating with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas discussed with Cairo and Amman ways to revive the peace process, stressing the need to move quickly to save the “two-state” solution before a “one-state” solution becomes the only option.

A political source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Palestine, Egypt, and Jordan agreed that the two-state solution is practical. However, without a serious US action to save it, a one-state solution will be the only option available.

According to the source, the three countries agreed to increase pressure on the US administration to move towards the two-state solution.

The source explained that this coordination began before US President Joe Biden took office.

Washington was not open to prospects for launching a political process and was content with supporting economic initiatives to break the deadlock and establish confidence-building measures.

The Israeli government considered it an alternative path, which could not be accepted, according to the source.

Other sources confirmed that Jordan and Egypt resumed the move and received another confirmation from the Palestinian President that he would immediately sit down at a negotiating table.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, currently in Washington for meetings with US officials, has put forward ideas about ways to revive the political process. However, there are no indications in Israel on the possibility of accepting a new political path.

The Palestinian leadership hopes that US pressure will change this position or that a new Israeli position can be reconfigured after the current foreign minister, Yair Lapid, assumes the premiership in Israel, according to a rotation agreement with Naftali Bennett.

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