His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday said that until Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian land and gives Palestinians their rights, the cycle of violence will continue in the region and its effects will be felt throughout the world.

“I come before you today with a deep sense of urgency,” King Abdullah told the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

“Never has it been more important for the world community to act decisively for peace in my region.”

He said the recent crises in the Middle East showed that “there can be no just global order when aggression and occupation are permitted to take the place of international law”.

“Our youths are asking, ‘where is the justice, where is the will of the global community?' We must answer them by establishing a lasting peace based on the international legality we have pledged to uphold,” he said.

“This means a new focus on the core problem. The region's contemporary crises are outgrowths of a central grievance, felt throughout the Middle East and indeed the world. The grievance, plain and simply, is Israeli occupation and the denial, over decades, of Palestinian rights. Until we end that wrong, conflict will breed more conflict, year after year.”

The monarch said that over the years, United Nations resolutions condemning “aggression and occupation” had failed to be implemented.

“It is time to take a better path,” he said.

He also called on Arab and international community to support Lebanon's reconstruction efforts following this summer's fighting.

“Events show clearly that there can be no unilateral solution to the conflict. There must be a genuine partnership among all parties, in the context of international legality and justice,” he said.

“We must make peace a priority. And we must do so now. No session of this great institution could make a greater contribution to a future of justice and hope.”

On the sidelines of the meeting, King Abdullah held separate talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and President Oscar Sanchez of Costa Rica on Middle East developments and bilateral ties.