Jordan Times
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Palestinian issue should
top Arab priorities — King
DEAD SEA (Petra) — King Abdullah on Wednesday said finding a just, permanent and
viable solution to the Palestinian cause should top the priorities of Arabs and
the entire world.
“Finding a just and lasting settlement to the Palestinian issue must top the
priorities of Arab leaders, their people and the world,” the King told the
closing session of the two-day “We are All Jordan” youth forum at the King
Hussein Ben Talal Convention Centre here.
“If we don’t seize the current opportunity, which could be the last, and find a
radical solution to the problem in six months, all of us, unfortunately, will
pay the price.”
In a recent interview with Time magazine, King Abdullah stressed the need for
tangible results on the ground.
“If we don’t see tangible results on the ground by 2007, then I don’t think
there will ever be a Palestinian state. Then we are doomed to another decade or
decades of violence,” the King said.
The Monarch yesterday said he was doing his utmost, with the support of some
Arab leaders, to help restore Palestinian rights, including the establishment of
an independent state.
All sides have to work together to ensure the “settlement of this question
becomes a concrete reality”, said the King.
“The absence of a settlement… is the cause of the conflict, the wars and of
misery which the region has suffered for several decades.”
King Abdullah reiterated that if Arabs do not unify against regional challenges
in the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Lebanon, “the world would find somebody
else to negotiate with on behalf of the Arabs”.
The Monarch and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed at Amman meeting earlier
this week that a unified Arab position was crucial to supporting the
Palestinians and guaranteeing their rights in a settlement of their issue, the
core of conflict in the region.
He said he hoped to see Palestinians “enjoy freedom, security and stability and
take part in building their state”.