Jordan Times
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Direct talks an opportunity that should not be lost - King
AMMAN (JT) –– His Majesty King Abdullah on Friday reiterated that resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution is a regional and international strategic interest.
He called for intensifying the efforts of all parties involved to guarantee that the direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis, which will be launched in Washington on Wednesday, can achieve tangible and fast progress to achieve the two-state solution, the only way to bring security and stability to the region.
In an interview with Israeli Channel One Television, aired Saturday evening, the King said that dangers facing Israel will increase in the future if peace on the basis of the two-state formula, which represents a real guarantee for security and stability for all in the Middle East, is not reached.
Responding to a question on concerns over solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the “Jordanian option”, which means ending the conflict at the expense of Jordan’s national interests, the King said: “It’s such an idiotic idea” that does not even deserve to be discussed because it is rejected by Jordanians and Palestinians since it can never be implemented.
The King pointed out that the success of the negotiations will open the door for Israel to build normal relations with 57 Arab and Muslim countries that support the Arab Peace Initiative.
The envisioned solution, he told the channel, must guarantee the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that lives in peace and security next to Israel and within a comprehensive regional context in line with the initiative.
King Abdullah stressed that the upcoming negotiations represent an opportunity that should not be lost to achieve peace, warning that failure to end the conflict will lead the countries and people of the region into new waves of violence and tension.
The Monarch stated that the United States hosting of the talks is an indicator of Washington’s determination to push peace efforts forward, pointing out that the US has declared ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution to be in its strategic interests.
Only peace can guarantee the security of Israel, which must choose between living as “fortress Israel” looking at the region from behind walls, or to live in security, peace and integration with its neighbours through the comprehensive peace offered by the Arab peace overture, King Abdullah said.
Stating that the people of the region want a comprehensive peace that protects their rights, the King warned that the continuation of the status quo has caused great frustration.If no solution to the conflict is reached, he said, “we will always be on the receiving end of violence”.