King urges US Jewish leaders to push for peace in Mideast

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday met with representatives of several leading American Jewish organisations over ways to revive the Middle East peace talks on the basis of the two-state solution.

At a meeting in Washington, King Abdullah highlighted the role of American Jewish organisations in pushing for a relaunch of the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations, expressing hopes that 2016 would see genuine progress in this direction, a Royal Court statement said.

The King also underlined that arriving at a just and lasting settlement of the long-running Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the key to solving the region's conflicts, warning that the absence of a peaceful solution is prone to ignite violence and radicalisation and would have consequences on the world's peace and stability, the statement said.

The King also stressed that terrorism is nowadays the number one challenge facing the entire world, indicating that confronting radical gangs is a top priority that requires intensified cooperation and coordination, according to the statement. 

Discussions also tackled the latest developments in war-torn Syria and efforts exerted to find a political solution to the ongoing conflict that can bring an end to bloodshed and the large-scale suffering of the Syrian people. 

His Majesty highlighted Jordan's burdens resulting from hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

He also stressed the tremendous impact of the crisis on the country’s infrastructure, health, education, water, energy and services sectors.

For their part, the American Jewish figures lauded the King’s relentless efforts to achieve peace and his vision to build a better future for the region’s people. They also spoke favourably of the King’s moderate policies and his efforts to promote the values of tolerance and coexistence.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Vice President of Government Affairs at J Street Dylan Williams, described the King’s meeting with US President Obama as fruitful. The meeting, he added, reflected the importance of strong bilateral relations, which, he said, are a priority for anyone who wants to see a stable and prosperous Middle East.

American Jewish Committee Director of Government and International Affairs Jason Isaacson underlined Jordan’s pivotal role led by King Abdullah in pushing the peace process forward in order to achieve security and stability in the Middle East.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Director of the King’s Office Jafar Hassan and Jordanian Ambassador in Washington Alia Hatoug Bouran.