His Majesty King Abdullah II
His Majesty King
Abdullah II's Interview
with Al Ghad Daily
July 1, 2007
Following is the official translation of King Abdullah's interview with Al Ghad daily, published on July 1:
Al Ghad: Your Majesty participated
several days ago in the four-way summit with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak,
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli prime minister in Sharm El
Sheikh. Has the summit achieved what you hoped it would?
HM King Abdullah: I would have liked to see more achievements for the Palestinians. The
atmosphere of meetings was positive to a certain extent. We had wanted to revive
the political process, but regardless of what we do as Arab and Islamic or
Western states, without a clear Israeli plan that outlines what it hopes to
achieve in the next few months, whatever is done will be ineffective. Unless
Israel commits to required procedures to achieve peace, our own efforts will
lead nowhere. Our message to Israel, whether before or during the summit, was
that they needed to show us their intentions towards the Palestinian people. The
peace that everyone aspires to can't be achieved unless Israel outlines specific
timelines from now into the coming months. This comes as we are working
internationally to gain support for the Palestinian people and resume
negotiations. This has been the thrust of my recent talks with American
officials, with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is EU
president and president of the G-8, and with the new British prime minister,
Gordon Brown, and this will be the main message of my talks with French
President Nicolas Sarkozy when I visit France Wednesday, and in Portugal, which
will hold the rotating EU presidency next. We do not aspire to just an effective
American role but also a powerful European participation, where all eyes will be
on the peace process and how to bring back the Palestinians and Israelis to the
negotiating table, according to a clear plan.
Al Ghad: Is there any way to pressure Israel to convince it of the need to move
towards peace, and distance Olmert from his tactical calculations towards
practical or actual steps towards peace?
HM King Abdullah: Don't forget that there was movement before the summit. There were
contacts between Jordan and Egypt, and coordination and cooperation among the
moderate Arab states, with the aim of pushing Israel to take real steps towards
peace. I went to the quadrilateral summit despite the fact that I was not
necessarily convinced that we would achieve everything that we wanted. But our
duty is to do whatever we can to support the Palestinians. Over the coming days
we will see how Israel moves on issues like prisoner release, releasing
Palestinian funds and organising meetings between the two sides. There has to be
specific, measurable criteria according to which the world can evaluate Israeli
policies towards the peace process.
Al Ghad: The latest events in Palestine which led to Hamas asserting control
over Gaza and the dissolution of the national unity government have been an
unprecedented blow in the history of the Palestinians. To what extent does Your
Majesty think it is possible to control the s ituation and how can it be done?
HM King Abdullah: We feel sorrow and anger about what has happened. The Palestinian arena is
sliding down a dangerous path, and the repercussions of these events threaten
the unity of the Palestinian people, who have fought for decades to restore
their legitimate rights and establish an independent state on their national
soil. We are concerned about the situation in the Palestinian territories, and
we are calling for a retun to Palestinian legitimacy and for maintaining the
unity between the West Bank and Gaza as one entity in order to preserve
Palestinian interests. The status quo exposes the Palestinian situation to
chaos, which is absolutely unacceptable and weakens the position of Arabs and
Palestinians. This situation serves the enemies of the Palestinian people and
constrains Palestinian aspirations to end the Israeli occupation and establish
an independent Palestinian state. We call on our brothers in Palestine to
exercise reason and fix the situation, and urge them not to adopt a policy of
imposing the status quo. On-the-ground "victories" that are not of a Palestinian
nationalist nature, amid continued occupation, are definitely not in the
Palestinian interest. We warn here that the separation of Gaza from the West
Bank will have catastrophic consequences for the Palestinians, especially those
in Gaza who are exhausted by the siege.
Al Ghad: What is the solution, in Your Majesty's opinion?
HM King Abdullah: As I mentioned earlier, the Palestinian cause must supersede all other
interests. We do not want to give Israel or any other party a pretext to say
that the Palestinians are divided and they do not know with whom to negotiate.
Continued infighting and the collapse of Palestinian unity exacerbates and
sidetracks the problem and will set it back by years. Here, we call for
commitment to the legitimacy of the Palestinian National Authority that
represents the Palestinian people. There should also be a concerted effort to
break the deadlock in the peace process and relaunch real and serious
negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel that will result in a just and
comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, and move towards a Palestinian
state that will provide the Palestinian people with security, freedom and
stability. Undoubtedly, the threat to the Palestinian cause is tremendous, and
efforts to address it should be rapid and responsible. Those who want to deny
justice to the Palestinians should not be given the chance to do so. This can
only be done by returning to Palestinian legitimacy and the formulation of a
Palestinian position that gives the Palestinians' friends and supporters the
ability to push for a revival of a peace process that will end the injustice.
Al Ghad: How concerned is Jordan about the repercussions of the Gaza events?
Does Your Majesty fear that these events will affect Jordan?
HM King Abdullah: We are not concerned about Jordan. Our confidence in our people is
tremendous. Jordan has been for years surrounded by regional, sectarian and
ethnic conflict and tension. Thank God, our unity and our people's awareness of
the dangers surrounding us has fortified our country against the repercussions
of the conflicts surrounding it. Our concern is for the Palestinian people, who
alone pay for what is happening in the Palestinian territories in terms of
siege, hunger, infighting and loss of hope. In addition to our brotherly
position and historic ties to the Palestinians, Jordan has political, strategic
and security interests in the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Al Ghad: Does Your Majesty think there is a real chance for serious peace
negotiations in light of the Israeli government's weakness, especially now that
with events in Gaza, it can negate an independent Palestinian state and push
towards the so-called West Bank first, which would give Palestinians their daily
rights but close the file of political rights.
HM King Abdullah: There is no doubt that the situation is difficult. But Israel will not
achieve the security it seeks unless it responds to Palestinian political
rights. Briefly, the security of Israel is hostage to the security and stability
of the Palestinians. That is why we will continue to pressure Israel directly
and through the international community to commit it to implementing
international resolutions that correspond to the establishment of a Palestinian
state as a prerequisite for the region's stability. It is necessary to end the
suffering of the Palestinian people and to improve their living conditions.
Nothing but the establishment of a Palestinian state can solve the Arab-Israeli
conflict. Slogans have luster, and many people thrive on them. But the reality
is that the Palestinians face a solid enemy that works according to programmes
and plans. This reality must be dealt with objectively, and we must work on
achievement instead of appealing to emotions, which will only lead to even
greater harm to the Palestinians. There is Arab consensus on the Arab Peace
Initiative, and there is an international position that supports the restoration
of Palestinian rights. The Palestinians are obligated to put their house in
order so that we may exert more effort to help them.
Al Ghad: Does Your Majesty fear a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and is there
any way to protect the residents of Gaza from any plans to isolate them and
Hamas' control over Gaza?
HM King Abdullah: We have done and will continue to do our duty in Jordan towards our people
in Gaza, and in our conversations and discussions with international powers, we
emphasise the need to help the Palestinian people in Gaza by ensuring the flow
of aid and other assistance. There is no difference between Palestinians in Gaza
and the West Bank. All Palestinians are our family, and whoever thinks that he
can distinguish among the Palestinian people is plain wrong. The cause is one,
the struggle is one. And we will stand by them and for them.
Al Ghad: The events in Palestine have revived the issue of confederation with
Jordan, or the administrative annexation of the West Bank to Jordan as a way out
of the crisis. Despite Jordan's emphasis that confederation before independence
is not an option, there are those who speak of Israeli and American pressure on
Jordan to accept this arrangement.
HM King Abdullah: We've grown tired of discussing this issue. Our position is clear and has
been made public. No one can do anything to change it. We refuse the notion of
confederation or federation. This proposal at this stage is a conspiracy against
both Palestine and Jordan. Our position is clear and principled. We cannot
accept these solutions, no matter what the pressures are. As for the future
relationship with Palestine, it's premature to discuss it. This will only be
done after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on Palestinian
soil. The Jordanian and Palestinian people will decide the form of this
relationship. Jordanians refuse any settlement of the Palestinian issue at their
expense. I say clearly that the idea of confederation or federation, or what is
called administrative responsibility, is a conspiracy against the Palestinian
cause, and Jordan will not involve itself in it. Despite that, and as we have
stressed earlier, once the Palestinian decision is sovereign and once a state of
law and institutions is established west of the river on the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, the form of relationship between Jordan and Palestine will be a decision
of the people. Everyone knows that the only solution is the establishment of a
Palestinian state, and Israel should clarify what it wants. If it wants
permanent and lasting peace, it has to move quickly towards that solution. It
must explain to the Palestinians, the Arabs and the rest of the world what it
wants. We will continue to monitor the situation, and we will not hesitate to
confront any plan, whether from Israel or elsewhere, that evades the condition
for peace: the establishment of a Palestinian state. We will continue to work,
discuss and exert pressure to achieve that. Whoever wants peace should not
circumvent its conditions by advancing alternative proposals,
such as confederation and federation. Those who want peace should exert every
possible effort to reach a two-state solution.
Al Ghad: Your Majesty, is this a message to Israel?
HM King Abdullah: This is a message to Israel and to everyone who tries to solve the issue
at the expense of Jordan and the Palestinians.
Al Ghad: There are those who accuse Jordan of siding with one party against the
other in the Palestinian arena, who argue that Jordan is biased towards
President Abbas in his conflict with Hamas. How does Your Majesty respond to
these accusations?
HM King Abdullah: We are biased in favour of the Palestinian right. We deal with the
Palestinian Authority and support it with all our might in order that it can
achieve its objective to end the injustice on the Palestinians and establish the
independent Palestinian state. We deal with governments, not parties. We do not
accept, just as no country in the world would accept, that a state establishes
ties with a particular party in another state. The PA is Palestinian legitimacy,
and we deal with that. And let's be frank. States that deal with parties are
those that want to exploit these parties to advance their own interests and
agendas. History is replete with such examples. No state has ever supported a
party within that state just because it has beautiful eyes. We have no agenda
but to help the Palestinian people restore their rights, and we believe its
legitimate institutions represent this nation, and hence we support those
institutions and their programmes that seek to achieve independence and dignity
for the Palestinian people.
Al Ghad: Some voices say that international support for President Abbas may cost
him his credibility, because there is a prevailing impression that international
support is against Hamas, not necessarily to achieve Palestinian rights. What is
the support that Abbas needs?
HM King Abdullah: Once again let me emphasise that whoever seeks to divide the Palestinian
people is exposing this nation to more catastrophe. Despite the existence of
states and other actors who would use Palestinian suffering to serve their own
agendas, there are many who work in earnest to help the Palestinians. Jordan,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and most Arab and Muslim states do not want the
Palestinians' suffering to continue, and many world countries know that there
can be no security, stability and prosperity in the Middle East without a
solution that delivers justice to the Palestinians. We are aware that the
support that President Abbas wants and needs is support to relaunch the peace
process and advance it towards a solution that ends the occupation. We realise
the causes of the crisis and the conditions for its resolution, and in all our
efforts we stress that supporting President Abbas is to support a just cause and
the conditions that enable him to serve his people, improve their living
conditions and respond to their political rights.
Al Ghad: Does Your Majesty expect progress in resolving regional crises in Iraq,
Lebanon and Palestine, or do you expect tensions to escalate this summer?
HM King Abdullah: It all depends on what is achieved over the next few months. The problem
is that each party fears the other side. That is why we are witnessing an
unprecedented state of mobilisation. We will intensify our efforts to alleviate
these tensions, but the parties directly concerned are the only ones capable of
resolving these conflicts. We support our brothers in Iraq with all our ability
to achieve security and stability and to overcome the chaos there. We support
Lebanon's stability and stand by those who seek to preserve the country as a
secure and stable country where no one interferes in its affairs. We stand by
its legitimate institutions and call on the Lebanese to put the interests of
Lebanon and the Lebanese first. Naturally, our message to Israel is to end the
occupation and end the suffering of the Palestinian people as the only way to
achieve its own security and regional stability.
Al Ghad: Does Your Majesty think that regional tensions are partly a result of
conflicts between two agendas: one supportive of radical
HM King Abdullah: I will speak here about our programme and will not discuss those of
others. The issues are clear for anyone who wants to see them. We want to build
a model nation that is capable, secure and democratic; one that opens horizons
so that its sons and daughters may achieve. We realise that the security and
prosperity of the region are interconnected. Those who believe in the people's
right to freedom and a life of dignity should work to promote the culture of
life and confront the powers that promote a culture of violence and intolerance.
We believe that economic reform is inevitable and there is no alternative to it,
and we will continue our reform programme until the end. Those who undermine
people's intelligence and arrogate to themselves the right as custodians are
wrong. Our objective is reform that flows from renaissance and enlightenment. We
are confident that with the awareness of our people and their sense of
belonging, our project for Jordan's future will triumph, God willing. Moderate
forces in the region are many, and they are making tremendous efforts to
entrench our programme, which aims to build a better future for people. Voices
of moderation should be raised because they want the best interests of their
people and to serve their causes. Moderate states should remain effective and
continue to move and coordinate and meet in order to reach their objective of
achieving security and prosperity for the region's peoples. Any regression in
the effectiveness in moderate states will be in the interest of those who stoke
tension. I assure you that we will remain effective.
Al Ghad: What is the fate of the Arab Peace Initiative in light of the
escalating conditions in the region, and what are the possibilities of achieving
its objectives?
HM King Abdullah: The initiative, to which the Arab leaders renewed their commitment in
Riyadh, aims to revive the peace process and establish a just solution to the
Palestinian question and the Arab-Israeli conflict that has gone on for decades
now. We worked diligently after the Riyadh summit to revive the initiative and
promote it both regionally and internationally. I met with Jordanian,
Palestinian and Israeli intellectuals and opinion leaders to encourage them to
explain the initiative amongst moderate forces in their communities and to
emphasise the need to adopt it in order to achieve peace and end the state of
conflict. We knew that there would be others who would try to derail this
initiative and to create circumstances that would obstruct any movement forward.
We warned our Palestinian brothers about the dangers of internal strife and
division and the ramifications this would have on our ability to find a
permanent peace settlement and the establishment of an independent Palestinian
state. We are determined, in spite of the critical conditions, to achieve a
breakthrough in the peace process that will restore to its owners their rights
and spare the region an escalation and expansion of conflict. There must be an
urgent revision of the Arab position, and intense efforts among all parties to
prevent the current deterioration in the Palestinian arena.
Al Ghad: How does Your Majesty view Jordanian-Saudi relations, particularly in
light of the visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Jordan? Has this
relationship reached the level to which you aspire?
HM King Abdullah: Thank God, the relationship is strategic, and the trust between the
Custodian of the Mosques and I is extremely strong. God willing, the
Jordanian-Saudi relationship will be a model for other Arab states. I am
extremely comfortable with the quality of our relations. Coordination between
moderate Arab states is at its best levels. The visit of the Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques was successful by all standards. We discussed all problematic
files, including the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq and Lebanon.
Our points of view are similar on all issues, to a large extent. We both oppose
regional interference in these issues. Here I would like to extend our
appreciation and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for his
honourable and principled stand in support of us. Saudi economic assistance we
receive has contributed to the Kingdom's economic and financial stability, and
enabled us to initiate several development projects in different regions of the
country. Once again, our relationship with Saudi Arabia is a model for Arab
ties. We are confident that this relationship will develop and improve and will
be in the service of Arab and Islamic issues.
Al Ghad: There are views that say the current elections law will result in a
Parliament that is similar to the current legislature. What does Your Majesty
think?
HM King Abdullah: We are constantly striving to foster the democratic process in Jordan. And
we continue to aspire to political parties that have clear programmes and
policies addressing people's social, economic and other concerns and that win
the admiration and support of the voters and that strengthen democracy,
inclusion and pluralism. We anticipate having real and effective party life
where parties produce candidates who are elected on the basis of the party's
political programmes. Unfortunately, many parties are still unable to act
effectively on the political scene or convince the people of the importance of
participating in party work. In the end, we want a Parliament that is strong,
and meets the expectations and aspirations of our people and that is able to
address the challenges that we face. We count on the awareness of the sons and
daughters of our nation to participate in decision-making by electing the person
they see as the most capable and appropriate for this phase. Elections will
happen this year. I have said from the beginning that there will be municipal
and parliamentary elections, and that is what will happen. We want the elections
to push Jordan in the right direction. Jordanian citizens are able to
distinguish between those who can deliver progress and advance the project of
renaissance and those who obstruct it. We want the votes of Jordanians to
overcome the challenges the country and the region face. Here, I would like to
say to Jordanian youth, I count on them to participate en masse in the elections
and give their support to those who can achieve our aspirations which are
theirs, and our vision for building Jordan, which is their vision. I meet them
regularly and every time I do, they raise my morale. I count on them, and when I
sit with them, I am optimistic about Jordan's future. Jordan's future requires
that words, vision and ideas are translated into tangible actions. Participation
in elections is a key step towards translating this vision.