JERICHO, West Bank, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The future border of the Palestinian state with Jordan will exclude Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said, adding he is ready for peace.
The Palestinian state border with Jordan will extend from the Dead Sea through the Jordan Valley up to Beit She'an, Abbas said while attending a graduation ceremony at a Jericho university Sunday.
"This is a Palestinian-Jordanian border, and that's how it will remain. Frankly Israel won't be present between us and Jordan," The Jerusalem Post quoted Abbas as saying.
The Palestinian leader did not rule out the possibility of international troops being deployed to supervise a peace agreement with Israel once a final deal is secured. Abbas said he sought to reach a just and ever-lasting solution that will end the conflict with Israel.
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"We are working with the U.S. administration and the other members of the Quartet [the United Nations, the EU and Russia] to make the peace process succeed."
The Palestinian Authority will "continue to display good intentions until the end; the timeline is known -- from six to nine months. If there are good and peaceful intentions, then we are ready for peace."
There are some 19 Israeli communities in the Jordan Valley established for the 1970s to the 1990s.
Arutz Sheva reported Monday Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vigorously opposes any Israeli pullout from the Jordan Valley, Israel's eastern border. However Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads up negotiations with the Palestinians, supports such a move and is willing to allow international forces to take the Israeli army's place.The report said Livni has reportedly raised the issue in discussions with the Palestinians.
