U.S. Sounds Abbas Out on Palestinian-Jordan Confederation

  • Jordanian minister says a joint state isn’t being discussed
  • U.S. has halted aid to ‘flawed’ UN Palestinian aid agency
Mahmud AbbasPhotographer: Abbas Momani/AFP via Getty Images
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a group of Israeli lawmakers and activists on Sunday that President Donald Trump’s negotiating team had asked whether he would agree to a confederation with neighboring Jordan.

Peace Now’s executive director Shaqued Morag, who attended the meeting, said Abbas told the U.S. that he would agree to a trilateral confederation that includes Israel. Decades ago, Israeli officials mooted the notion of a confederation between the Palestinians and Jordan, but not one that would include Israel. Israeli government spokesmen couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.