Jordan Times
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
King urges US to set
'strong parameters' for peace process
AMMAN (JT) - His Majesty King Abdullah has said he hopes the US administration
will announce clear benchmarks for Palestinian-Israeli negotiations in order to
reach a two-state solution, according to a Royal Court statement.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal‘s Jay Solomon, published yesterday,
King Abdullah emphasised the importance of Jerusalem to Jordan and to all Arabs
and Muslims, noting that Jordan’s relationship with Israel has sunk to an
all-time low since the signing of the 1994 peace treaty as a result of Israel’s
unilateral measures in Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian
territories.
“It hasn’t been as bad as it is today and as tense as it is today,” the King
said.
King Abdullah reiterated the central role the US plays in peace efforts,
stressing the urgent need for progress in light of the escalating tensions in
the region and reiterating that the two-state solution is the only possible
means of resolving the conflict.
The Monarch warned that the status quo must not be allowed to continue as it
will lead to conflict and cause more suffering for the people of the region.
He added that the long-term future of Israel is in jeopardy unless the conflict
is resolved on the basis of the two-state formula and within a comprehensive
peace settlement as proposed by the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative between Israel
and 57 Arab and Muslim countries.
King Abdullah emphasised, in response to a question, that there is no
alternative to the two-state solution and that Israel will not be able to push
1.8 million Palestinians out of their homes in the occupied Palestinian
territories.
The King said he was concerned about wasting more time, adding that Israel would
be better off making peace while the opportunity is there instead of kicking
this problem down the road, when its options will be fewer.
“I think wasting too much time is something that we all have to be very
concerned about because there is tremendous tension in the region. Over the
Israeli-Lebanese border; if you spoke to some Lebanese today they feel there is
going to be a war any second,” the King said.
“It looks like there is an attempt by certain groups to promote a third Intifada,
which would be disastrous. Jerusalem, as you are well aware, is a tinderbox that
could go off at any time, and then there is the overriding concern about
military action between Israel and Iran,” he added.
His Majesty also noted that the credibility of the peace process is at an
all-time low due to failure to achieve peace thus far.
King Abdullah said the job of Jordan and the other countries in the
international community is to maintain common sense and keep hope alive until
the US can bring its full weight on the Israelis and the Palestinians to get
their act together and move the process forward, expressing hope that the US
administration is preparing to put very strong parameters in place to move the
process forward.
King Abdullah said that at his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu last year in Amman, he was extremely optimistic about the vision
Netanyahu had for peace.
“However, I have to say that over the past 12 months, everything I have seen on
the ground has made me extremely sceptical, and I am probably one of the more
optimistic people you will meet in this part of the world.”
“And therefore, there have been a lot of words, but the actions on the ground
have made me extremely concerned about how straightforward Israeli policy is,”
King Abdullah said.
The Monarch said that political trust with Israel has disappeared.
He also noted that there is no real economic relationship between Jordan and
Israel, saying that an Israeli businessperson wishing to enter Jordan can
receive a visa immediately, whereas it is almost impossible for Jordanian
businesspeople to enter Israel.
“Economically we were better off in trade. I mean, obviously there was the
golden period of the wonderful relationship between my father and Prime Minister
Rabin, and after the death of PM Rabin, again there was a resurgence with PM
Barak, but it’s just been a decline since then,” the King said.
In the interview, His Majesty pointed out that the Palestinian-Israeli issue is
used by everyone who has an axe to grind against the West, stressing that
“resolving this problem does not mean that this evil will evaporate, but
definitely, it will take a big chunk out of the challenges that we have in this
region”.
Asked about how active Iran is in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories,
King Abdullah said: “If there are those that are saying that Iran is playing
mischief, then I say it is being allowed to play mischief.”
“The platform they use is the injustice of the Palestinians and Jerusalem. So if
you start taking those cards off the table, then Iranian influence on the
Mediterranean through Hizbollah and Hamas in Gaza diminishes or becomes
nonexistent. My view is that I am really against any military action in Iran,
that is Pandora’s box. But by dealing with the core issue, that is when you
start taking cards away from the Iranian regime,” the King said.
His Majesty said he is optimistic about Iraq because he believes in the Iraqi
people and their nation’s vision of progress.
“I believe that we as Arab countries have been negligent in not standing with
the Iraqis more. I understand that Arab countries sometimes don’t know how to
deal with Iraq. But I think this is a new phase in their lives with this new
election and we should be there for them. I’m optimistic and I believe in the
national spirit of the Iraqis,” the King said.
In the interview, King Abdullah said Jordan has been asked to send more medical
and combat engineers to help rebuild Afghanistan. “This is something we are
trying to negotiate with the Afghan government,” he said.
The Monarch said the EU and the US have expressed interest in bringing Afghan
police and soldiers to be trained in the Kingdom, and noted that Jordan has
excellent facilities and tremendous experience in this regard with Palestinians
and Iraqis.
“Jordan is playing a more vital role in stability building in Afghanistan as a
Muslim nation reaching out to help the development of another Muslim nation. I’m
very excited and proud of that,” the King said.
Asked about Jordan’s relationship with Syria, King Abdullah said: “Jordan’s
relationship with Syria is better than it has been in a long time; probably the
best it’s ever been... so the engagement now between the Syrian and Jordanian
governments on economic cooperation is at an all-time high. The Israeli-Syrian
issue is obviously high on their priority list.”
The King said that Syria is ready to talk, but suspicious of the Israeli
government’s intentions. “I think everyone is still trying to decide what this
Israeli government is all about. The rhetoric is positive, but actions on the
ground show us something completely different, so there is frustration from
Syria towards Israel,” he said.