TEL AVIV, March 31. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to meet with Jordan's King Abdullah II before the start of the conflict with Iran, but he refused, Kan State Television and Radio Company reported.
"The purpose of the meeting was to make it clear to the United States that Israel and Jordan are on good terms, especially after the ceasefire in Gaza," Kan said.
Amman demanded "clarification on several issues," including the prospects for the creation of a Palestinian state, preventing the expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, ensuring access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the problem of violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, Kan notes.
"The answers that came from Israel did not satisfy the Jordanian side, and it was decided that there was no desire to give Netanyahu a political achievement in the form of a meeting with the king and that further ties with Israel could be secured through behind-the-scenes security channels," it said.
A source also said that the King of Jordan refused to meet with Netanyahu "partly because of the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque." It was closed to believers along with the rest of the holy sites of the Old City in Jerusalem after the start of the confrontation with Iran. Israel says it did this for security reasons due to frequent rocket attacks.