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Jordan's king warns of new Mid-East war within a year
Kiran Randhawa11 May 2009
America is promoting a peace agreement for the Middle East aimed at ending more than 60 years of conflict between Israel and the Arabs, Jordan's King Abdullah said today.
If it fails to work it could end in a new war in the region in the next 12 to 18 months, he warned.
Promoted by President Obama's administration, the plan involves a "57-state solution" in which the entire Muslim world would recognise Israel. It would also settle the country's conflict with the Palestinians and Syria and Lebanon.
"If we delay our peace negotiations, then there is going to be another conflict between the Arabs or Muslims and Israel in the next 12 to 18 months," King Abdullah said.
He said he helped draw up the plan with Mr Obama in Washington in April. Details will be thrashed out in a series of diplomatic moves this month, including Mr Obama's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington next week.
The initiative could form the centrepiece for Mr Obama's address to the Muslim world in Cairo on 4 June.
"What we are talking about is not Israelis and Palestinians sitting at the table, but Israelis sitting with Palestinians, Israelis sitting with Syrians, Israelis sitting with Lebanese," said the king. He added that if Mr Obama did not make good his promise for peace then his credibility would disappear overnight.
Such an ambitious project has not been attempted since 1991 when George Bush Snr assembled all the parties for a peace conference in Madrid.
"The critical juncture will be what comes out of the Obama-Netanyahu meeting," King Abdullah said.
"If there is procrastination by Israel on the two-state solution or there is no clear American vision for how this is going to play out in 2009, then all the tremendous credibility that Obama has worldwide and in this region will evaporate overnight." Of Israel, which has so far rejected any moves towards a two-state solution, he said: "We are offering a third of the world to meet them with open arms. The future is not the Jordan River or the Golan Heights or the Sinai - the future is Morocco in the Atlantic and Indonesia in the Pacific. That is the prize."
The plan is expected to offer Israel entry visas to all Arab countries, the right of Israeli airline El Al to fly over Arab territory, and the recognition of Israel by all Muslim countries.
Israel would have to respond by halting the construction and expansion of its settlements on the West Bank, and agree to withdraw from land taken since 1967.
Reader views (6)
Israel is not the cause of all of the Palestinians problems. Warnings of war if negotiations fail is either stating the bleeding obvious or a veiled threat. Not too helpful either way. Getting everybody with an interest involved in the discussions sounds like a good idea, or is it intended as the world vs Israel? Can these 57 countries agree on anything?
- Bloke, London, 12/05/2009 14:53
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Alex Simmonds is obviously unaware that refugee camps exist in Israel, even more since Israel bombed Gaza in January. There will never be peace there until Israelis dismantle their viciously sectarian state and learn to live alongside Muslims and Christians as equals, rather than lavishly privileged Jewish supremacists. Israel as a state is built on stolen land and stolen propery.
- Jo, London, 12/05/2009 12:38
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Abdullah is the king of a state that occupies more than 70% of what was Palestine. And noone says word!
Talking of refugees,Israel resettled over 800000 Jews from Arab countries. Many of these people had their property confiscated(stolen!). The Arabs, unlike the Israelis,have kept 'their' refugees in camps.
- Alex Simmonds, Glastonbury, England, UK, 11/05/2009 22:57
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I say.. who's the eye candy sitting behind them in the picture!
- Rosie, watford, 11/05/2009 14:39
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Even while talks are going on Israel will be digging in and expanding into illegally occupied land.
- M Wilkinson, London Uk, 11/05/2009 14:24
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Peace in the Middle East is a fantasy and is unlikely to come until its peoples rise up and get rid of the corrupt dictatorships they live under.
King Abdullah is a dictator who runs a police state which does part-time torture for the Americans.
Israel is the last racist settler state in the world,and has not the slightest intention of giving the Palestinians justice for the land violently stolen from them by Jewish separatists.
- Jo, London, 11/05/2009 14:08
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