US Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on Wednesday to discuss the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the tensions in Jerusalem, and the struggle against IS with King Abdullah. Kerry has visited the Jordanian king over a dozen times since becoming US Secretary of State and he considers the renewal of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks to be one of his top priorities.

According to Voice of America, Kerry’s relationship with Jordan’s king has been weakened since Israeli-Palestinian peace talks ended last April. They further deteriorated during Operation Protective Edge and in the midst of the latest unrest in Jerusalem.

Kerry recently finished talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javed Zarif, and will spend two days in Jordan before traveling to the United Arab Emirates, the Times of Israel noted. Kerry will be participating in the Sir Bani Yas Forum, an annual gathering of world leaders focused on international security, Haaretz added.

Last week, following the escalation of tensions on the Temple Mount, Jordan recalled its ambassador from Israel. It marked the first time that Jordan has taken such an action since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1994. Jordan is the custodian of the Muslim holy places in Jerusalem and views the Israeli response to Palestinian rioters in the area, as well as calls by right-wing MKs to permit Jewish prayer there, to violate the status quo agreement. In response, they are considering reevaluating the peace treaty with Israel and proposed an anti-Israel resolution to the UN Security Council, of which Jordan is a member.

By Rachel Avraham/www.jerusalemonline.com