In a surprise visit to Amman on Tuesday, Israel's prime minister tried to mobilize Jordan's king in his effort to persuade the Palestinians to resume direct peace talks, though the chief Palestinian negotiator again rejected the idea, according to AP. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's quick trip to neighboring Jordan came after a Palestinian document, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, noted that President Barack Obama's envoy is also pressing the Palestinians to restart direct peace negotiations with Israel. Netanyahu's office said he had two hours of talks with King Abdullah II, emphasizing «the need to ensure direct, serious and effective negotiations» toward «two states for two peoples.» Palestinians insist that before upgrading indirect talks mediated by the envoy, George Mitchell, Israel must halt all settlement construction and accept the concept of a Palestinian state in all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, with some territorial adjustments. Netanyahu insists that talks must resume without preconditions. He has grudgingly accepted the idea of a Palestinian state but refuses to commit to borders before the peace talks start. A Royal Palace statement said Abdullah and Netanyahu discussed ways for starting «serious and effective» direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. It did not elaborate. The palace statement said Abdullah asked Netanyahu to «make use of the opportunity available now to achieve peace, which constitutes a strategic interest for all sides involved.»
