AMMAN: Jordan’s Islamist-led trade unions on Wednesday strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Jordan, describing him as a "criminal."
"At a time when the Zionist enemy is killing our people in Palestine and destroying their homes, as well as planning schemes against Jordan’s security, officials receive Netanyahu the criminal in Amman," head of the unions’ council Ahmad Armuti said in a statement.
"The trade unions completely reject this visit and hold the government responsible for its political and public responsibilities, in line with the constitution."
Netanyahu held a two-hour meeting with King Abdullah II on a surprise visit to Jordan on Tuesday in a bid to convince Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas to upgrade Middle East peace talks.
The visit came three months after the king told The Wall Street Journal that Netanyahu’s actions over the past year had brought relations between their countries to a new low.
The two leaders, whose countries signed a 1994 peace treaty, last met on May 14, 2009, when the Israeli prime minister made another surprise visit to Amman six weeks after taking office.
