Didi Remez picks up Ben Caspit from Maariv saying that Ron Lauder is serving as Netanyahu’s emissary to Jordan’s King Abdullah, who is angry about East Jerusalem’s annexation and worried that Israeli rejectionism will lead to another war. Bear in mind, Ron Lauder is an American businessman (my theme today is the title of Zionist Melvin Urofsky’s 1986 book about the Diaspora and Israel: We Are One!). Remember that whenever Jimmy Carter goes near the region, people blast him for messing in foreign policy. Well at least he’s messing in U.S. foreign policy!
Only last week the king warned, referring to construction in East Jerusalem, that Israel was playing with fire and mentioned that according to Israel’s peace accord with Jordan, the latter had rights to Jerusalem’s holy sites. He said that all options were on the table when it came to protecting he holy sites as well as Jordan’s interests in the city.
…As one might recall, Lauder served as Prime Minister Netanyahu’s personal envoy to the late Syrian president Hafez Assad during Netanyahu’s first term as prime minister. Lauder shuttled between Jerusalem and Damascus and exchanged direct messages between the prime minister and the Syrian president.
…Relations between Israel and Jordan are presently at particularly low point, following the king’s profound concern that the continued political impasse could harm Jordan’s standing and lead the entire region to violence.
