Israel and Jordan finalized a tourism agreement and initialed the liaison and coordination arrangements between the countries’ military forces.
The committee overseeing implementation of the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty met in Dir Ala, Jordan, on Monday. Members received a progress report on talks and negotiations toward finalizing agreements on trade, transportation and military liaisons.
Jordan and Israel also broke new ground Sunday, when a delegation of 29 Knesset members of all political strips flew aboard a Jordanian airplane from Tel Aviv to Jordan to attend a banquet hosted by king Hussein at his palace near Amman.
Both the landing of a Royal Jordanian jet in Israel and the visit were unprecedented, Israel Radio said.
Hussein had arranged the visit to help advance Israeli-Jordanian relations.
The head of the contingent, Knesset Speaker Shevach Weiss, said he brought the king a Bible as well as a gift of gold medallions.
“In a way it symbolizes our historic record,” Weiss told Israel Radio. “We are all sons of Abraham.”
Weiss said he had a difficult time choosing the delegation, because so many parliamentarians wanted to make the trip. He said he assembled the group from those Knesset members who had official roles in the Parliament or its parties.
One party official who turned down the invitation was Tsomet leader Rafael Eitan, who said he had “better things to do with his time.”
Leaders of Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty Oct. 26, ending a 46-year state of war.
Islamic fundamentalists denounced the visit.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
