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Israel’s Gantz battles to preserve ties with Jordan

Defense Minister Benny Gantz labors to repair damages caused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Israel-Jordan relations.
Retired Israeli Gen. Benny Gantz, one of the leaders of the Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) political alliance, speaks at the Jordan Valley site of Naharayim, also known as Baqura in Jordan, east of the Jordan River and which has been leased to Israel as part of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, on Oct. 18, 2019.

Israel’s embassy in Amman yesterday congratulated Jordanians and King Abdullah II on the occasion of 100 years since the founding of their state. A post on the embassy’s official Facebook page said, "The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, under the leadership of King Abdullah II, is a key player in the region and a key and strategic partner of Israel, promoting values of peace, moderation and tolerance. We wish The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan a prosperous future and will continue to promote our bilateral relations in various fields for the benefit of both of our peoples."

The Israeli post comes as the king and Prince Hamzah feature reconciliation. Jerusalem had hesitated on how to react to developments in Jordan in recent days, with some senior officials calling to express support of the king. It was finally Defense Minister Benny Gantz who set the tone, referring to the Hamzah affair as an internal Jordanian topic while pointing out the strong bilateral security contacts. "A strong and flourishing Jordan is a security and economic interest for us, and we need to do what we can to help them. But as I said, regarding the internal developments there, that’s an internal issue," said Gantz.

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