Jordan's king says East Jerusalem must be capital of Palestinian state

Jordan`s King Abdullah expressed concern on Sunday over a decision by Washington to recognise Jerusalem as Israel`s capital, saying East Jerusalem had to be the capital of a future Palestinian state. 

In remarks during talks with U.S. Vice Mike Pence in Amman, the king said the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a two-state one.

Jordan lost East Jerusalem and the West Bank to Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

U.S. endorsement of Israel’s claim to Jerusalem as its capital broke with decades of U.S. policy that the city’s status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

King Abdullah said the U.S. move would fuel radicalism and inflame Muslim and Christian tensions.

"For us, Jerusalem is key to Muslims and Christians, as it is to Jews. It is key to peace in the region and key to enabling Muslims to effectively fight some of our root causes of radicalisation," he said.