Jordan is ratcheting up its diplomatic offensive against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that he will annex major chunks of occupied West Bank territories if he wins the Sept. 17 Knesset elections. During a meeting with David Schenker, the US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, in Amman on Sept. 12, King Abdullah stressed the importance of uniting international efforts to reject all actions that undermine the two-state solution.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemned Netanyahu’s pledge to annex Jewish settlements as well as the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea areas, which constitute one-third of the West Bank. A few hours after Netanyahu's statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry quoted Safadi as saying that it is a “dangerous escalation that shatters the foundations of the peace process” and will lead to further violence and conflict in the region. Safadi described the declaration as an “outrageous” electoral tactic that breaches international law, kills the peace process and undermines the rights of the region’s people to peace.

Safadi met with ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council on Sept. 12 and urged the international community to take “effective and rapid” action against Netanyahu’s announcement. Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said Netanyahu’s announcement poses a “real threat” to the future of the peace process and will escalate regional conflict and violence. Parliamentary speaker Atef Tarawneh said that Netanyahu’s pledge to annex the Jordan Valley puts the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel at stake.

In a further provocation, Netanyahu held a Cabinet meeting in an illegally built Jordan Valley outpost on Sept. 15 and approved a new settlement in the area. The PLO said on Sept. 14 that Netanyahu sought to annex an additional 75% of Area C under the Oslo agreement, which includes all Jewish settlements in that region.