Amman, The Indonesia Post – Jordan’s King Abdullah on Wednesday said there could be no peace in the Middle East without an independent Palestinian state.
The renewed conflict between the militant group Hamas and Israel since last weekend shows that the region will not “enjoy stability, security or peace” without a sovereign Palestinian state on territory Israel captured in the 1967 war, he said.
A two-state solution is the only option, Abdullah told Jordan’s parliament in a speech opening the new parliamentary session.
“Our region will never be safe or stable without a just and comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution,” he said.
A two-state solution has long underpinned international peace efforts, but the process has been deadlocked for years. The current conflict makes those efforts even more grim.
Since the conflict erupted, King Abdullah has engaged in a series of diplomatic efforts with Western and regional leaders who have called for immediate action to de-escalate the situation, officials said.
They said the king would convey Jordan’s concerns to Antony Blinken when the US secretary of state arrives in Amman.
Blinken will visit Israel before going to Jordan on Wednesday.
Many residents of Jordan, which borders the West Bank, are Palestinians, who hope the territory as well as East Jerusalem and Gaza become part of an independent Palestinian state.
“An independent and sovereign Palestinian state must be based on the lines established on June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, so that the cycle of killings, the majority of whose victims are innocent civilians, ends,” Abdullah said.
Also read: Jordan condemns the acceleration of Israeli settlements in the West Bank
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was captured by Israel from Jordan during a war in 1967. The peace agreement with Israel is seen by most Jordanians as having sacrificed the rights of Palestinians.
The outpouring of anger against Israel also sparked massive demonstrations on Tuesday in the center of Amman, where thousands of demonstrators shouted support for Hamas.
They also demanded that the Jordanian government close the Israeli Embassy in Amman and cancel the peace agreement.
The Israeli embassy, where Jordanian demonstrators gather every day, has long been the center of anti-Israel rallies whenever there is unrest in Palestine. (mhn/bbs)
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