Jordanian King, Abdullah II, postponed Sunday a due vivit to Ramallah, where he was supposed to discuss peace efforts with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a presidency spokesperson stated.“ King Abdullah’s expected visit was postponed, owing to weather complications, while efforts are underway to arrange another visit in the coming few days”, said presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rodaina.
Ma’an News Agency, an independent Palestinian media outlet, reported that the King has delayed the visit after he failed to convince Israel of allowing Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya, based in Gaza, to attend his meeting with Abbas.
Israel has been locking down the Hamas ministers, including PM Haniya, in Gaza since the movement has won the last January’s elections, denying its member’s access to the West Bank.
Asked by IMEMC about other potential reasons behind the delay of the visit, Talal Aukal, a prominent political analyst in Gaza said:
“ I expect that the Israelis found Abdullah-Abbas meeting as embarrassing in a time the Israeli government is not ready for any political compromises in light of its political crisis”.
Aukal added that the visit comes also amidst Israeli debates over potential large-scale attack on the Gaza Strip, and this makes any political horizons difficult”.
Israeli inner cabinet, involving senior security chiefs, decided Sunday to step up targeted assasination attempts against Palestinian resistance fighters in Gaza, in response to what the cabinet considered ‘continued rockets fire attacks on nearby Israeli towns.
Aljazeera International satellite channel reported navigation disruptions in the Israeli airspace, a thing that might caused the postponement.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, was quoted as saying yesterday that the King Abdullah’s visit is meant to save the Palestinian National Authority from collapse.
Erekat refuted media reports that the Jordanian Monarch wanted to return Palestinian conditions back to prior 1967, mainly the annexation of West Bank to Jordan.
Despite the formation of a Hamas-Fatah coalition government in late February, the Palestinian Authority still suffers from an international isolation, unless the leading Hamas party recognizes Israel, renounces violence and accepts past signed agreements.
