King Abdullah II of Jordan told CNN his country was “ready” to a conflict with the new Israeli government if it wanted a conflict with Amman.
“If people [le gouvernement israélien] want to come into conflict with us, we are completely ready”King Abdullah told Becky Anderson about CNN in an exclusive interview conducted earlier this month.
“I always like to think that, let’s look at the glass half full, but we have certain red lines… And if people want to push back those red lines, then we’ll be fine with it.” »
The monarch referred to potential Israeli changes to the status of Muslim and Christian holy sites in the occupied city of Jerusalem. Jordan is the custodian of the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.
“We have to worry about a next intifada”, said the king. ” And if that happens, it is a complete breakdown of law and order that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians will benefit from. »
He continued: ” I think all of us in the region, including those in Israel who are on our side on this issue, are very concerned to ensure that this does not happen. »
Referring to far-right Knesset members Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who are Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu’s partners in the new coalition government, he said: I don’t think these individuals are under the Jordanian microscope alone. They are under an international microscope. I have to believe that there are also many people in Israel who are as concerned as we are. »
“At the end of the day, the Israeli people have the right to choose who they want to lead them… We will work with anyone and everyone as long as we can bring people together.”
Emphasizes the importance “extreme” of Israel’s integration in the region, he warned that this “will only happen if there is a future for the Palestinians”.