Saudi King Abdullah arrived in Jordan on Wednesday for talks that on the Palestinian crisis following Hamas’ takeover of Gaza Strip. "We will work together to overcome the dangerous situation of the Palestinian issue, support the Palestinian unity and reject the separation of Gaza from the West Bank," Jordan’s King Abdullah II told the satellite news channel Al Arabiya ahead of the Saudi monarch’s arrival.
The two-day visit was praised by the Jordanian media as historic, because it was the first such visit by a Saudi monarch in more than 25 years.
"What happened in recent days does not serve the interests of the Palestinian people or the Arabs. It only serves the enemies of the Palestinians," the Jordanian monarch said.
He described the Saudi king’s visit as ‘extremely important. "It comes as the Arab nation and the entire region are going through difficult circumstances and dangerous developments that threaten the future of the nation and the Middle East."
The Saudi monarch, who is due to meet separately with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Jordan, has called on Palestinian factions to settle their differences or face serious repercussions. "I appeal to the brothers in Palestine, who pledged to God in Mecca to shoulder their huge responsibilities, to settle their differences in order to avoid repercussions," he told Jordan’s pro-government daily Al Rai.
The Saudi leader added "we are aware of the serious threats that face Arabs and their interests. Where ever you look you will find more than a brotherly Arab country facing a serious crisis. The situation in Palestine is catastrophic and similar situations do exist in Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan and Somalia and we do realize that it is our duty to unify stands".
