His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday called on Palestinian factions to end their infighting in the Gaza Strip, where Fateh-Hamas clashes have killed around 50 people since Sunday.

“Violence must stop for the sake of the Palestinian people, and for the sake of Palestine,” the King told prominent Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli peace activists at a meeting organised by the Arab Centre for Democracy and Peace Studies.

The King spoke on the same day that bloodletting continued in Gaza between the rival Fateh and Hamas factions and as Israeli air forces struck Hamas offices in the coastal strip.

King Abdullah stressed the need to “act with courage, vision and determination in building momentum” for peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

“By letting events drift, we will be looking at years of more violence and destruction before another such opportunity opens,” the King warned.

King Abdullah told 200 activists that as leaders in their own communities, they had a prominent and urgent role to play in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.

“2007 is a decision point," he said, adding that Arab countries are unified behind the Arab Peace Initiative and that there was new international will to solve the crisis.

“Palestinians and Israelis want a negotiated settlement, an end to crisis and destruction and the opportunities and benefits of peace,” he said.

The King urged activists to “empower every generation, especially youth, to reclaim their future from the divisions and violence of the past.” “Your leadership is needed to help people create a new and believable vision for our region,” King Abdullah said. “Too many people know what it is to feel anger, sorrow and grievance. Help them remember the solidarity of successful peace — the hope, the empowerment, the sense of new opportunity.”

The King addressed the group as part of his efforts to build official and popular support for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations within the framework of the Arab Peace Initiative.

“King Abdullah held a series of meetings with Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli peace activists to encourage the voice of moderation and coexistence and foster peace by promoting and garnering support for the Arab proposal,” a Royal Court statement said.

Senator Abdul Salam Majali, a former prime minister who heads the centre, briefed the King on ideas and proposals that were discussed at the two-day meeting, saying an action plan was drafted to mobilize civil society in promoting the peace initiative.

The Jordan Times