BICOM

The US President has met the King of Jordan in White House Rose Garden to discuss peace in the Middle East.

President Trump and King Abdullah II of Jordan discussed the threat of ISIS and advancing the issue of peace in the Middle East, including peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

President Trump said he was “working very, very hard on trying to finally create peace between the Palestinians and Israel”, and added that he thought they would be successful.

According to King Abdullah, the two leaders discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he described as “essentially the core conflict in our region”. He said that the President’s early engagement in bringing the Palestinians and Israelis together has been a very encouraging sign “for all of us”.

The King also mentioned the Arab Peace Initiative which he said “offers a historic reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as all member states of the Arab League”.

He added: “It is the most comprehensive framework for lasting peace and it ensures statehood for the Palestinians, but also security, acceptance and normal ties for Israel with all Arab countries and hopefully all Islamic countries.”

During a press conference, King Abdullah said that he believed President Trump understood the nuances and the challenges of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said that “the Arabs are prepared to do whatever they can to bring Israelis and Palestinians together under the leadership of the President”.

Earlier this week on Monday, Trump had welcomed his Egyptian counterpart, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, to the White House. The Egyptian leader said he believed Trump could broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

Al-Sisi said: “You, Mr. President, can find a solution… the deal of the century.”

Trump’s special envoy for international relations Jason Greenblatt has recently returned from a trip to the region having met Israeli leaders and attended the Arab League Summit in Amman.