🔗 Share this article Middle East ‘Fated for Failure’ Without Palestinian State, King of Jordan Cautions Royal Press Office Jordan’s monarch has issued a stark warning that the region faces doom unless a peace process leading to a sovereign Palestine is achieved. The king made these remarks during an special discussion while preparing to participate in a high-level meeting in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh focusing on a comprehensive peace proposal for the region. The summit coincides with the freeing of the final Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in the custody of Israel. “If we don't solve this problem,” King Abdullah said, “without a shared future for both peoples and a connection between the Arab and Muslim worlds and Israel, we are destined for ruin.” Two-State Solution Seen as Sole Solution King Abdullah observed that the region has experienced many failed attempts at reconciliation and that enactment of a two-state framework—establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, next to Israel—remains the only viable option. “We must reverse course, but with a clear political vision, because if we don't solve this problem, we will face the same crises again,” the king remarked. Israeli Opposition and Regional Tensions The Israeli government has repeatedly rejected a two-state outcome. At the UN General Assembly recently, Israel’s leader was emphatic in his opposition. “Actually, they essentially possessed a Palestinian entity—within Gaza. How was it used? Peace? Co-existence?” “No, they launched assaults time and time again, totally unprovoked, they launched missiles into our urban centers, they killed innocent youths, they turned Gaza into a terror base from which they committed the October 7 massacre,” he continued, referring to the assaults by Hamas two years ago that triggered the current Gaza conflict. Nonetheless, it was at the same UN assembly that President Trump called King Abdullah and other regional leaders to a meeting to present his proposal for peace. “His directive to us was that, ‘This must end. It has to stop now.’ And we responded, ‘As you know, Mr. President, if anyone can achieve this, it's you,’” King Abdullah said. Speaking of the violence of the last two years, including conflict between Israel and Iran and the Israeli attack on Hamas officials in Doha recently, the monarch questioned: “How near were we to regional war that would have encompassed the whole world?” Lack of Trust and Hope for Peace Speaking of Netanyahu, the Jordanian leader said he did not “trust a thing he says.” But he believed there were people in Israel with whom Arab rulers could work to establish peace. Regarding Hamas and its agreement to transfer governance of Gaza to an Palestinian authority under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the king noted he had been given confidence by those “that are working extremely close to them, Egypt and Qatar, [who] feel very, very optimistic that they will abide by that.” But the king cautioned that the “complexities lay in the details” of the Trump mediated agreement, and that once a truce had been secured in Gaza it was crucial that the American leader stayed involved with the peace process. “In our discussions with President Trump, he knows that Gaza is not the only issue, nor is it solely about a political vision. I mean he's aiming for establishing peace to the entire area. This cannot occur unless the Palestinians have a prospect.” Bilateral Ties and Historical Context Jordan has had a peace agreement with the state of Israel since 1994, despite opposition from a significant portion of its population. Over half of the country's population is of Palestinian descent. The both nations work together on some security issues. This accord was negotiated by the king’s father, the former king, with the former Israeli leader. He was assassinated by a Jewish extremist the next year. When questioned if he thought he would see a comprehensive peace deal including a Palestinian state within his own lifetime, the king responded: “I must believe so, because the other option would lead to likely the end of the region. My late father, I recall towards the end of his life, often said, ‘I want peace for my children and their children.’ My grandchildren are growing up; they merit that tranquility. How tragic for them to grow up to repeat the identical words that my father uttered years ago?” “And I think that's what galvanises me and numerous leaders in the region, that reconciliation is the only option. Because if it doesn't come about, how frequently is the Western world, America especially, dragged into this? Eight decades have passed. And I believe it's the moment for all of us to say no more.” Over sixty-seven thousand individuals have been fatally wounded by Israel's military in Gaza since 7 October 2023, as reported by health authorities in the Hamas-run territory. The past does not provide great optimism, but King Abdullah believes this is a moment of genuine possibility.