many decades:
so much suffering, so much frustration, and it can
only get worse if we don’t solve the problem,”
the Monarch stated, adding that the entire international
community will be paying the price for not solving
the Palestinian issue.
The King stressed that
Jordan will not have any role in the West Bank, indicating
that the only credible, viable way of solving the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the two-state solution
that enables the Israelis and Palestinians to live
together.
His Majesty stressed
that the injustice towards the Palestinian people
allows other state and non-state actors to assume
the role of the defenders of the Palestinians.
During the session, King Abdullah underlined
the need for a peaceful solution to solve the issue
of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, saying that Jordan
refuses any military solution against Iran because
it is an important and significant country in the
region.
Emphasising that every country has a
right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy, the King
stressed the need for transparency in nuclear programmes
throughout the region, including Israel.
“The argument that I sometimes
hear in circles is the Iranians are pursuing a military
programme and therefore this is a threat to Israel.
But if we solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem, why
would Iranians want to spend so much money on a military
programme?”
Regarding terror and extremism, the Monarch
said that Muslims stand for tolerance, acceptance
and humanity, and that those who pretend to be Muslims
but desecrate the name of Islam through terrorist
acts are trying to hijack the religion.
He expressed pride in the Jordan Armed
Forces and security services for being able to combat
terror groups, who, he stressed, have nothing to do
with Islam.
“Our role is to protect our citizens,
to protect our country, but equally important is to
protect our faith,” he said, adding: “If
we felt that people are going to target Jordan, we
would target them. And my message is clear: As long
as you continue to try and hurt the citizens of my
country we have the right to protect ourselves.”
The King underlined Jordan’s efforts
to reflect the real image of Islam including the Amman
Message, which he called an effort at outreach among
faiths, in addition to the Common Word, a Jordanian-inspired
initiative to bring Muslim and Christian communities
together.
King Abdullah stressed that Jordan is
determined to move forward in its reform and development
process, pointing to the decentralisation plan, which
he said will allow Jordanians to move democracy in
the right direction and lead to political reforms.
“It is a partnership between
me and the people of being able to move society so
that they are capable of moving democracy forward
and I know that Jordanians have it in them and have
the capability, and I hope that as we start with decentralisation
that is going to move Jordan strongly forward,”
the King added.
