AMMAN – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid down demands for security arrangements between a future Palestinian state and Jordan, in a rare visit Thursday, Jan. 16, to Amman.

Netanyahu was in Jordan for unannounced talks with King Abdullah II on the U.S.-brokered Middle East peace process.

The visit follows U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s 10th trip to the region, as Washington tries to push Israel and the Palestinians towards an elusive peace deal after decades of conflict and months of deadlocked negotiations.

Palestinian leaders meanwhile accused Israel of imposing its own agenda on the talks that Kerry kick-started in July, saying its intense focus on the security issue, and on Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, was sidelining more crucial sticking points.

The rare Netanyahu-Abdullah meeting in Amman — the Israeli premier’s first since February 2013 — was an opportunity for Netanyahu to directly discuss with Abdullah the future security arrangements in the Jordan Valley, where the West Bank borders Jordan.

“Israel is putting an emphasis on security arrangements, which is also in Jordan’s interest in any future agreement,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement after the meeting.

Netanyahu stressed “the important role that Jordan is playing, led by King Abdullah, in the efforts to bring about an agreement,” it added.

Jordan’s royal palace said the two leaders “discussed peace process developments in light of the current U.S.-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.”

It said that the peace talks must “meet Palestinian aspirations” while at the same time “protect Jordanian interests.”