Jordan Times
Thursday, October 29, 2009
'Settlements, occupation
no path to security'
AMMAN (JT) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday said regional peace and
security will not be attained through Israel’s unilateral actions in Jerusalem,
its continued building of settlements and barriers and its use of armed force,
but by a final peace settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the
basis of the two-state solution.
The King made the remarks in a taped message addressing participants in the
First National J Street Conference. Based in Washington, J Street is a US-Jewish
group which advocates the two-state solution and rejects the Israeli settlement
activity in the Palestinian territories.
In the message, the Monarch stressed that the Arab Peace Initiative has offered
a path to a new future in which Arabs and Israelis can live in peace.
"The initiative seeks a peace that can last, through a comprehensive settlement
that meets the Palestinians' right to freedom and statehood and guarantees
Israel's security and acceptance in the region," he said.
"The initiative is not just about the two-state solution. It is about regional
peace, about Israel having normal ties with all Arab and Muslim states, 57
states that still do not recognise it," he added.
In the message, held under the theme, “Driving Change, Securing Peace”, King
Abdullah stressed the area’s need for a better future: "One in which people can
live a normal existence; with their countries secure; their region at peace; and
their children free to build safe, prospering lives".
"The price of failure [to achieve peace] will be too high for all, for the
Israelis, for the Palestinians, for the region, and for America's national
interest in a free and stable world," the King told the participants.
In the message, the King voiced appreciation for US President Barack Obama's
efforts to relaunch peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis and
for his commitment to achieving peace in the Middle East.
J Street advocates the Palestinians’ right to set up an independent sovereign
state next to Israel, on the basis of the 1967 borders. It also calls for a
comprehensive peace in the Middle East by building on the Arab Peace Initiative,
and has expressed its concern about the policies of the present right-wing
Israeli government on more than one occasion.