Jordan prince meets Israel president in UK

Jordanian Prince Ghazi Bin Mohammad, adviser to King Abdullah II, met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the Jordanian Ambassador in London, it was announced today.

The prince, who holds the position of chief adviser for Religious and Cultural Affairs in the kingdom, discussed the development of Christian holy sites along the Jordan River with the Israeli official yesterday.

“A number of issues were discussed, at the top being the development of the Baptismal site and the progress of the Land of the Monasteries initiative,” the statement on behalf of Rivlin said. “Promoting and developing the site would be a significant element in building bridges between peoples and religions.”

Relations between Jordan and Israel have been at worst point as a result of Tel Aviv’s repeated attacks on Islam’s third holiest site, Al-Aqsa Mosque, to which Amman is the custodian.

Links between the two countries soured further after Israel detained two Jordanian citizens and tortured them.

READ: Jordanian kickboxer refuses to compete against Israeli rival

Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel, Ghassan Majali, to protest the pair’s administrative detention, a system that allows Israeli authorities to stop and hold people without charge or trial thereby not providing them the possibility of appeal for prolonged periods.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to annex the occupied Jordan Valley did little to ease tensions.

Last week, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said that relations between Jordan and Israel are now at their worst point ever.

“The Jordanian-Israeli relationship is at an all time low,” Abdullah said at an event in New York City hosted by US think tank the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

READ: Israel banned 20 Palestinians from travelling to Jordan last week