His Majesty King Abdullah II stressed that peace in the Middle East will not be achieved unless there is an American umbrella and an American president determined to bring the Palestinians and Israelis to the negotiating table to resolve the conflict.
If the players are left to themselves, "we're not going to get anywhere," King Abdullah said during an interview with David Gregory on NBC's Meet the Press, broadcast on Sunday.
King Abdullah said he believed that President Obama understands the issues. "For the first time, I think Americans can clearly say that a two-state solution is in the vital national interests of the United States," he noted.
King Abdullah, the first Arab leader to meet the US president in the White House, made the remarks at the end of a visit to the US. He said the region's people are awaiting a signal from the United States after President Obama declares his plan following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and after he listens to what Netanyahu has to say. "But if right after that visit, there's not a clear understanding of how America is going to weigh in on these problems, then I think the goodwill of the United States will disappear," he added.
The King noted that unless the core issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is resolved, then the region will always be an area of instability that "costs all of us."
In response to a question, King Abdullah said a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the key to helping resolve other regional issues, because that conflict is at the root of other problems in the region.
The US' main challenge is to connect the dots and deal with Middle East issues comprehensively, the King said, adding that when the Palestinian problem is resolved, the resolution of other issues will follow, including Iran and Afghanistan.
"All roads lead back to Jerusalem," the King told Gregory.
He also warned that the region will witness more violence if the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not resolved within a regional approach through negotiations. The Middle East, he added, is at a crossroads and Israel has to decide whether it wants peace with Arab and Muslim nations or it wants to remain as a fortress.
King Abdullah said his visit to Washington was aimed at relaunching negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians on the basis of the two-state solution and through tackling all aspects of the conflict. He added that his discussions with President Obama were very fruitful, describing the president as an impressive man who has a clear understanding of the challenges of the Middle East.
He also cautioned that extremists exploit the frustrations about this conflict and the continued occupation of Jerusalem to impose their agenda. Consequently, he said, terrorism cannot be tackled without also resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
King Abdullah said President Obama's message to Arabs and Muslims has been consistent, adding that Jordan initiated the Amman Message, which not only reaches out to Muslims but also to Christians, Jews and other faiths in the world.
In response to a question about an on-going debate about the use of torture in the United States that erupted following President Obama's decision to release official memos on the use of torture against prisoners, King Abdullah said the issue was an American concern, but that what he had seen and heard in the US media led him to believe that the accusations may be valid. The King said that such activities can harm the United States' international image.