Jordan’s lower house of Parliament approved the peace treaty with Israel on Sunday, with 55 members of the 80-member chamber voting in favor of the historic accord.
The voting in the Jordanian Parliament took place the same day the Israeli Cabinet also approved the treaty.
The full Israeli Knesset had overwhelmingly approved the accord Oct. 25, a day before Israel and Jordan signed the treaty officially ending the 46-year state of war between the two countries and opening the way to full diplomatic, economic and cultural ties.
With Sunday’s vote in Jordan’s lower house, the treaty must now be approved by the 40-member upper house before being signed by King Hussein.
Formal debate of the treaty began only after the Jordanian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee reviewed the treaty and recommended that it be ratified.
The committee gave its approval after voting down the objections of three members representing the Islamic Action front, which vehemently opposes the peace accord with Israel and calls for Israel’s elimination.
Outside the Parliament building in the Jordanian capital of Amman, police sealed off access roads and patrolled the streets to prevent anti-treaty demonstrations the fundamentalist opposition had vowed to hold.
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