Jordan's king urges US Jewish leaders to back two-state solution

Nov 16, 2009, 14:59 GMT

Amman - Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday appealed to the Jewish community in the United States to support the two-state vision, saying Israel should choose between peace and continuing to live with the 'fortress mentality.'

The monarch made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation representing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), currently on a visit to Jordan, according to a royal court statement.

'The king underscored the importance of support by all parties, including the US Jewish organizations, for current efforts aimed at accomplishing the two-state solution which represents the cornerstone for peace and guarantees the rights of all parties in the region,' the statement said.

'Israel should choose between peace that ensures its security and recognition in accordance with the Arab peace initiative and sticking to the fortress mentality in a region that faces the potential of continuous conflicts,' the monarch was quoted as telling the AIPAC delegation.

The Arab peace plan offers Israel full recognition by all Arab states if it quits all territories it occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, including East Jerusalem, and accepts the setting up of an independent Palestinian state with the June 1967 borders.

King Abdullah warned that 'the world and the region were approaching a crucial point concerning the Middle East peace, when the alternative for peace will be the exacerbation of conflicts with all parties paying the price.'

He stressed the importance of the 'leading role' that should be played by the United States for relaunching the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian from the point they reached.

Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab countries have set Israel's freeze of all settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank as a pre-requisite for going back to the negotiating table, but the current rightwing Israeli government has adamantly rejected that condition.

Responding to a question, the Jordanian head of state expressed Jordan's 'rejection' of any military action against Iran. He called for 'dialogue' as the only channel for resolving the dispute over the Iranian nuclear file, the royal court statement said.