Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida reported Monday morning that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a secret meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Saturday, in the Jordanian capital of Amman.
The meeting was intended to try and calm inflamed tensions in Jerusalem, following the temporary decision to stop all visits to the Temple Mount last week. That decision was made following the assassination attempt against Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick on Wednesday, who championed the struggle for Jewish prayer rights at the holiest site in Judaism.
According to the report, as cited by Channel 2's website, Netanyahu told Abdullah at the meeting that he is considering blocking Jews from entering the Temple Mount.
In addition, Netanyahu reportedly said that Israel will take “new steps” regarding the entry of visitors to the Temple Mount, but the newspaper did not say what they would be.
After the meeting, Abdullah reportedly spoke with Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and filled him in on its results.
Abbas commended Netanyahu on Sunday after the Israeli leader called for calm in Jerusalem. “Today, a statement was issued by the government of Israel and the prime minister of Israel, according to which there is a need for calm, and we support calm,” said Abbas.
"In principle, we support calm,” he added. “We do not want to escalate the situation until it cannot be handled.” Just last month, Abbas called for terrorism on the Temple Mount, demanding Muslims block Jews by "all means necessary."
Abbas's bureau further called Netanyahu’s statement “a step in the right direction” and claimed that Netanyahu had recognized the Muslims' “right to Al Aqsa.”