Jordanian King Abdullah II
Photo: Reuters
Opposition leader meets with Jordanian king to discuss peace
King Abdullah II expresses hope formula to stop the talks from collapsing will be found; Herzog apologizes for death of Jordanian judge.
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Labor) met Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on Monday to discuss the peace process.
"There is an opportunity that won't repeat itself to reach an arrangement in the Middle East, and a formula must be found to stop the talks from blowing up," Abdullah said.
Herzog stressed to the Jordanian king that the Labor party, and the rest of the opposition parties, all support the peace process and understand that this opportunity must not be missed.
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Herzog is the first Israeli official to meet Abdullah since the incident at the Allenby border crossing, in which a Jordanian judge was shot and killed by IDF fire.
"I would like to express my sincere apology for the incident," Herzog told the Jordanian king. "And I hope the joint investigation committee will reach the truth and publish its conclusions soon."
The IDF claims soldiers at the border crossing shot at Judge Raed Zeiter in self defense, saying he attacked the troops.
The incident has strained relations between Jordan and Israel. Following the incident, protests broke out in Jordan and some called for Israel's ambassador to be expelled and the peace treaty with Israel to be annulled.
The furor led Prime Minister Netanyahu to issue an apology and agree to work with the Jordanians to investigate the incident.
According to IDF initial investigation a bus arrived to the check point with dozens of Palestinians who were on their way back to the Palestinian Authority. At this stage a standard security check was conducted on the bus using a mirrored rod and a security check of the passengers.
The Battalion 76 soldiers charged with securing the border crossing began their security check on the bus and at a certain point the Jordanian judge attempted to snatch one of the soldier's weapon. He was shot in his lower body, but continued to attack the soldier. Two soldiers noticed the attack and opened fire, shooting him at least five times.
