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AMMAN — US Secretary of State John Kerry and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held “constructive” talks on the Middle East peace process, a US official said Thursday, as crunch decisions loom in the coming days.

After earlier talks with His Majesty King Abdullah, Kerry and his team met for more than four hours over dinner in Amman with the Palestinian leader, a senior State Department official said.

Describing it as “a constructive conversation”, the official added that “the secretary plans to remain engaged with both President Abbas and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu over the coming days”.

Israel is due to release a fourth and final tranche of prisoners over the weekend, a move which will prove key in deciding whether the talks, resumed in July after a three-year gap, unravel or not.

Under the deal relaunching the peace negotiations, Israel said it would release 104 Arabs held since before the 1993 Oslo peace accords in exchange for the Palestinians not pressing their statehood claims via the UN.

Israel has so far freed 78 prisoners but there are growing Netanyahu’s Cabinet may block the final releases, particularly of Israeli Arab militants.

In Jerusalem, about 50 relatives of the victims of attacks demonstrated Wednesday near Netanyahu’s residence against widening the prisoner releases.

“Justice and values come before politics. We can’t reach peace by ignoring the blood of the victims,” said Meir Indor, a spokesperson for the families.

Palestinian Minister of Prisoners affairs Issa Qaraqe told Voice of Palestine radio that “Israel is trying to worm its way out of releasing the prisoners. They will be held responsible for any repercussions of this.”

He insisted Israel free all the prisoners.

League rejects ‘Jewish state’ 

The Palestinians also won key backing Wednesday from the Arab League for their refusal to bow to Netanyahu’s demand to recognise Israel as “the nation state of the Jewish people”.

“We express our total rejection of the call to consider Israel as a Jewish state,” an Arab League declaration said at the end of a two-day summit in Kuwait.

But the Israeli side hit back that Abbas’ stand on the issue “could torpedo the peace process”.

The Palestinian leader had “boasted that he refuses to even discuss recognising the Jewish state, once again parading rejectionism as virtue,” a senior Israeli official said.

Kerry, who coaxed the two sides back to the negotiations last July after a three-year freeze, is aiming to reach a framework to guide the talks going forward as an April 29 deadline for a deal looms.

But Abbas told him he would not discuss the framework accord until after the prisoner releases have taken place, a Palestinian source said.

Israel also wants the Palestinians to agree to extend the talks beyond April 29, warning a failure to do so would scupper the final prisoner release.

“We don’t need a new series of accords so that Israel can bury them under an avalanche of conditions, reservations or interpretations before going back on their commitments,” Abbas told the Arab League.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday discussed bilateral relations and latest regional and international developments with UK Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugh Robertson. 

Discussions also covered the latest developments in the US-brokered Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations as well as the Syrian crisis and its consequences on the Kingdom, mainly manifested in the growing refugee burden, a Royal Court statement said. 

During the meeting, the Monarch stressed the need to intensify the international community’s assistance to Jordan to cope with the Syrian refugee influx and continue its humanitarian support to the Syrian refugees.

For his part, Robertson valued the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts in serving the Syrian refugees, voicing Britain’s keenness on continuing its support to Jordan, according to the statement.

The British minister also lauded the King’s role and his ongoing efforts to achieve peace, stability and security in the Middle East and the world.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Office Director Imad Fakhoury and British Ambassador to Jordan Peter Millett.

Also on Thursday, Robertson met with Interior Minister Hussein Majali. Bilateral ties and the latest regional developments, especially the Syrian crisis’ impact on Jordan, were top on the meeting’s agenda, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  

Majali stressed the importance of enhancing the Jordanian-British relationship in all fields, especially cooperation in the fields of police work and anti-corruption. 

He also briefed the visiting official on the political, security, economic and humanitarian impact of the Syrian crisis, saying that resource-poor Jordan will not be able to bear these consequences alone without support of the international community and international organisations. 

For his part, Robertson valued Jordan’s stance towards all regional issues, saying that the next stage will witness more cooperation between Amman and London in all fields.

The British minister started his visit on Wednesday, when he met with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh and Forum of Jordanian Parliamentarian Women.

GAZA — A new medical team arrived in Gaza on Wednesday to join Jordan’s field hospital.

“Gaza 29” medics replace “Gaza 28”personnel, who have completed their mission in the coastal enclave.

The new team’s leader, Col. Muttaleb Omar Bin Tarif said the hospital’s personnel are proud to serve the people of Gaza.

AMMAN — The second regional conference on healthcare in places of detention, organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) concludes in Amman on Thursday, an ICRC statement said.

Prison authorities and health professionals taking part alongside ICRC specialists in the three-day meeting are from 12 Middle Eastern and North African countries, where the ICRC visits detainees.

Discussions are covering the challenge of striking a balance between security considerations and healthcare needs, international standards of healthcare in places of detention, medical ethics and the role of medical doctors in places of detention, among other issues, the statement said.

AMMAN — The Jordan Press Association (JPA) council on Wednesday denounced what it described as the government’s “disregard” for As Sabil, Al Anbat and Al Diyar dailies by not inviting any of their reporters to local and international events.

A statement quoted JPA President Tareq Momani as expressing rejection of the government’s attitude towards these newspapers, whose reporters were not invited to the 25th Arab Summit in Kuwait.

AMMAN — Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday began reviewing an assessment report on Jordan’s projected nuclear plant prepared by the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) and the Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission (JNRC).

The visiting IAEA delegation listened to a briefing by JAEC Chairman Khaled Toukan and JNRC President Majd Hawari on the report, which outlines mechanisms to improve the infrastructure of the planned nuclear plant in the Kingdom.

IAEA delegates are scheduled to visit Jordan in April to further assess the studies conducted on the proposed site for Jordan’s planned nuclear plant.

AMMAN — Public Sector Development Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh on Wednesday met with a delegation of EU experts currently visiting the Kingdom and discussed drafting a procedural document for a new programme for the country’s financial and public sector reform, according to a ministry statement.

Khawaldeh briefed the visiting delegation on the government’s priorities to improve the performance of public administration during the next three years, which cover restructuring public agencies, streamlining measures and promoting a culture of excellence, the statement said.

AMMAN — The Lower House Integrity Committee on Wednesday stressed the importance of joint efforts to boost integrity and transparency within society.

At a committee meeting attended by Higher Education Minister Amin Mahmoud and Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani, MP Mustafa Rawashdeh, who heads the committee, highlighted the need to arrive at mechanisms to foster transparency within society, stressing the role of the ministries of education and awqaf, and the media in this regard.

Momani said the government is ready to fully cooperate with the committee and the Lower House to ensure its success.

AMMAN — Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh on Wednesday discussed parliamentary cooperation with Deputy Chairman of the Political and Democratic Affairs Committee at the EU Assembly Josette Durrieu.

Also on Wednesday, Riyadh Shakaa, acting president of the Independent Elections Commission (IEC), met with Durrieu and discussed Jordan’s request for partner for democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Shakaa presented a briefing on the IEC’s role and duties, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

According to the European council’s website, Durrieu is scheduled to meet with several officials as well as representatives of the media, civil society and diplomatic missions.

AQABA — Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Chief Commissioner Kamel Mahadin on Wednesday met with a World Bank delegation.

The delegates are currently visiting Aqaba to check on what has been achieved in the transportation and logistics sector in the port city, and provide any needed assistance, according to Ziad Nakat, who is a World Bank expert in transport and logistics in the Middle East and North Africa.