Jordan's king reiterates support for 2-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict in UN speech

By Ibrahim El-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - King Abdullah II of Jordan reiterated his support for the two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict during his address Wednesday to the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.

“It is not possible to achieve actual security for both parties and even for the entire world, except through peace based on the two-state solution, which leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” said Abdullah.

He reiterated Jordan’s commitment "to preserve the historical and legal status quo of the (occupied Palestinian) city of Jerusalem, and its Islamic and Christian sanctities, based on the Hashemite guardianship over them,” as provided by international law. The Hashemite custodianship refers to the Jordan royal family’s role in guarding Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

Peace talks between Palestinian and Israel collapsed in 2014 after Israel retracted its decision to release a fourth batch of prisoners, and refused to halt settlement plans.

Another reason behind the failure was Israel’s refusal to make 1967 borders the basis for negotiating the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Abdullah also encouraged international assistance to Lebanon to save the Arab nation from the "critical" situation it is experiencing.

“Lebanon is facing a critical humanitarian and economic situation,” he said. “The Lebanese people need our full support."

For the past few months, Lebanon has been suffering from an acute shortage of fuel due to the lack of sufficient foreign exchange which has affected imports, causing frequent power cuts and a severe fuel shortage.

Lebanon has witnessed a severe economic crisis in the past two years that has left it on the verge of financial collapse.

* Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar