Jordan's King Abdullah II has voiced "concerns" over the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
"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 radicalization," the monarch said on January 21 as he met with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in Amman.
Calling U.S. President Donald Trump's decision "historic," Pence said that the U.S. administration remains committed to restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and views Jordan as a central player.
The U.S. vice president’s visit to the Jordanian capital is part of a four-day tour in the Middle East, which started in Cairo on January 20 where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Pence will head to Israel on January 22 where he is set to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and address parliament.
He was not expected to meet with Palestinian officials during his trip, which comes more than a month after Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The move has infuriated Palestinians, who see Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and declared the entire city as its capital -- a move that the international community has never recognized.
