Jordan today warned of the seriousness of Israel's controversial plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, stressing that it would be a "catastrophic step that will kill the chances of achieving peace" between Israelis and Palestinians.
This coincides with the announcement by both the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Islamic Jihad that they will not participate in a meeting of the Palestinian leadership next Saturday in Ramallah to discuss ways to respond to the Israeli move.
These statements and positions coincide with a lightning visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Israel today, the first for him abroad in nearly two months, to hold talks on Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank.
"Any Israeli decision to annex settlements, the Jordan Valley and the North of the Dead Sea will be a catastrophic step that will kill the chances of achieving a just peace, and will push the region towards more conflict," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said - during a telephone conversation with Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Aranca Gonzalez on developments in the Palestinian issue today. And will make the one-state option inevitable. "
According to a statement that resulted in the meeting, "the two ministers agreed to reject any Israeli steps to annex the occupied Palestinian lands, considering this a violation of international law, and a undermining of the foundations of the peace process that started from Madrid."
On the other hand, Hamas and Islamic Jihad refused to participate in a meeting of the Palestinian leadership on ways to respond to the Israeli plan.
Hamas said - in a statement - that it would not participate in the meeting, and that it believes that "facing this Zionist project through a meeting in Ramallah is a scattering of ashes in the eyes, a waste of precious time in which the conspiracy is woven on our people, and a repetition of experiences proven to fail."
Hamas also called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to invite what is known as the "leadership framework", which includes the heads of the Palestinian factions, to "an urgent meeting ... in which an effective national strategy is agreed to confront the annexation plan."
The statement added that Hamas will not participate in this meeting, and confirms its readiness to participate in every serious meeting and is capable of bringing about the required change, knowing that the official leadership of the movement was not invited to this meeting.
For its part, the Islamic Jihad movement said - in a statement - that it "will not attend the meeting, as it considers that the real entrance to confront the annexation and settlement will be through holding the meeting of the organization's leadership framework in the presence of the Palestinian President and the secretaries and leaders of the factions."
It is noteworthy that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his partner Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party; They agreed earlier that the new government - which will rotate for its presidency - will begin applying Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, a strategic area that accounts for 30% of the West Bank, on July 1.
Experts point out that this step could lead Jordan to withdraw from the peace agreement it signed with Israel in 1994.