AMMAN: King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday reaffirmed his “absolute refusal” toward any efforts by Israel to annex the occupied West Bank during a visit to the UAE, the royal palace said.
The message came after several Israeli officials suggested that the country could proceed with the annexation of large tracts of the territory in response to moves by Western governments to recognize Palestinian statehood this month.
According to a palace statement, King Abdullah reiterated “Jordan’s absolute refusal of any Israeli measures aimed at annexing the West Bank and forcing Palestinians to leave.”
He also rejected any plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza or to separate the two Palestinian territories.
He was joined by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in expressing opposition to Israeli plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967.
They also rejected “Israeli plans aimed at perpetuating the occupation of Gaza and expanding military control.”
The UAE warned this week that annexation would be a “red line.”
The issue was a key point during the US-led negotiations for Abu Dhabi to normalize relations with Israel in the Abraham Accords of 2020.
The Jordanian king has on multiple occasions said that Jordan would never be a “substitute country” for Palestinians, amid suggestions from the US and Israel that third countries could take in displaced Gazans.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday warned that Western nations recognizing a Palestinian state could trigger “unilateral” measures by Israel.
Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich called this week for the West Bank’s annexation in response.
Jordanian king rejects any Israeli move to annex West Bank
https://arab.news/z2d3b
Jordanian king rejects any Israeli move to annex West Bank
- King Abdullah rejected any plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza
- UAE warned this week that an Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories would be a “red line”
Syria’s growth accelerates as sanctions ease, refugees return
- Economy grows much faster than World Bank’s 1% estimate, fueling plans for currency’s relaunch
NEW YORK: Syria’s economy is growing much faster than the World Bank’s 1 percent estimate for 2025 as refugees flow back after the end of a 14-year civil war, fueling plans for the relaunch of the country’s currency and efforts to build a new Middle East financial hub, central bank Governor AbdulKader Husrieh has said.
Speaking via video link at a conference in New York, Husrieh also said he welcomed a deal with Visa to establish digital payment systems and added that the country is working with the International Monetary Fund to develop methods to accurately measure economic data to reflect the resurgence.
The Syrian central bank chief, who is helping guide the war-torn country’s reintegration into the global economy after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime about a year ago, described the repeal of many US sanctions against Syria as “a miracle.”
The US Treasury on Nov. 10 announced a 180-day extension of the suspension of the so-called Caesar sanctions against Syria; lifting them entirely requires approval by the US Congress.
Husrieh said that based on discussions with US lawmakers, he expects the sanctions to be repealed by the end of 2025, ending “the last episode of the sanctions.”
“Once this happens, this will give comfort to our potential correspondent banks about dealing with Syria,” he said.
Husrieh also said that Syria was working to revamp regulations aimed at combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, which he said would provide further assurances to international lenders.
Syria’s central bank has recently organized workshops with banks from the US, Turkiye, Jordan and Australia to discuss due diligence in reviewing transactions, he added.
Husrieh said that Syria is preparing to launch a new currency in eight note denominations and confirmed plans to remove two zeroes from them in a bid to restore confidence in the battered pound.
“The new currency will be a signal and symbol for this financial liberation,” Husrieh said. “We are glad that we are working with Visa and Mastercard,” Husrieh said.
