US Vice President Mike Pence is defending US President Donald Trump’s move to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel, a decision that has touched off uneasiness among Arab nations, on his first tour of the region.
Pence was to meet yesterday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II for discussions that were expected to include last month’s shift on Jerusalem and plans to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the fiercely contested holy city.
He said after meeting on Saturday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi that he emphasized the US commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Pence said he assured al-Sissi the US was committed to “preserving the status quo with regard to holy sites in Jerusalem,” and that borders and other issues would be negotiated between the parties.
“The United States of America is deeply committed to restarting the peace process in the Middle East,” Pence said before departing for Jordan.
He said he would be “delivering that message in Jordan, delivering that message in Israel, as well.”
Al-Sissi said in a statement after the meeting that he affirmed Egypt’s “unyielding position” in support of the Palestinians’ right to establish an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital. He said the conflict could only be resolved through negotiations leading to a two-state solution.
Israel views Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians demand east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. A longstanding international consensus holds that the city’s final status should be decided through negotiations, which was also US policy going back decades.
Arab and Muslim nations support the Palestinians’ claim to east Jerusalem, and the Trump administration’s shift ignited protests across the region.
Ahead of Pence’s arrival, several dozen Jordanians gathered outside the US embassy in Amman, protesting against US policies in the Middle East.
Palestinians make up a large segment of Jordan’s population, and the ruling Hashemite monarchy derives some of its political legitimacy from its historic role as custodian of Jerusalem’s main Muslim shrine, the Al-Aqsa mosque, which is Islam’s third-holiest site.
Pence was also expected to meet yesterday with US troops in the region and then depart for Israel, where he is to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and deliver an address to the Knesset.
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